


O Roman, Our Roman

by Fangirltothefullest



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alice in Wonderland References, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Manipulation, Eventual Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, M/M, Mental Coercion, Mind Manipulation, Possessive Behavior, Transformation, hypnosis but it's not really hypnosis and is basically just magically-induced compulsion
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:07:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 29,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23982829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fangirltothefullest/pseuds/Fangirltothefullest
Summary: After the events of Selfishness Vs Selflessness - Redux, Roman tries to let off steam in the Imagination but things go very badly very quickly when he loses the battle and the Dragon Witch claims him as his rightful prize and takes him to his realm. But the Badlands are too close to the Subconscious.... how will they effect Roman? And can the others get to him in time to save the prince?
Relationships: Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Deceit Sanders
Comments: 83
Kudos: 258





	1. Fair and Square

**Author's Note:**

> WARNING: SPOILERS FOR SELFISHNESS VS SELFLESSNESS-REDUX AHEAD.

Roman gripped the hilt of his sword and panted, feeling sweat drip down his neck, his once glorious white top absolutely charred to bits and leaving his dark black tanktop in its place. His sweat coated most of his body as he dragged air in sharply through his teeth, eyes trained on the massive form of the dragon in front of him. Scales littered the ground and the beast was wounded, blood dribbling down his muscled, scales arm and underside, but he was by no means dead or down. Roman had barely scratched him and his grip tightened as he lunged to the side to dodge another oncoming attack, the swipe of claws barely missing him. The beast was relentless, swiping and clawing at him in a fury of teeth and the prince gasped and had to duck and roll as he heard the hitch of breath. The disgusting scent of sulfur and ash permeated the air and he could feel the hairs on his arms as they were singed off.

 _“_ ** _You know,_ ** ” the Dragon Witch boomed over him, voice rattling the crumbling stones. _“_ ** _You usually have better aim than this!_ **” He lashed out at him again and Roman found his area of maneuverability lessened with the fire roaring around him. 

He grit his teeth, claws swiping at him and he ducked and skid across the stone, shifting his grip so he could spin around and try and slash at his scales. The underbelly of a Dragon is weak and sensitive and Roman had often used that to his advantage when fighting the Dragon Witch. But the beast was prepared this time, and reared back, using his momentum to swing his claws around. 

Roman dodged the swing and got a good nick in, but he lost his footing and had to compensate by widening his stance. Panting, exhausted, Roman prayed it would be over, that the witch would fumble and he could slide his sword into his underbelly and kill him like he always did. Then they could shake on it and the dragon could go back to the Badlands. 

But he didn’t see the dragon’s tail swipe at his legs and he yelped as he tumbled to the ground. Sword clattering out of his hand, Roman gasped as massive claws slammed over him, caging him as he desperately reached to reclaim the metal that had flown away from him. He felt his giant claws drag him closer and the Dragon Witch peered with large eyes down at him in triumphant glee. _**“**_ ** _ **H** A! At long last!" _ ** Roman felt himself squeezed as he was lifted. **_"I have bested the fair prince! I am surprised, little snack, has the little prince finally let me beat him? Have you lost your edge~?”_ **

Roman squirmed in his claws, trying and failing to get free as he drew him to his large snout and puffed hot smoke into his face before looking at him. “Shut up!” Roman insisted. “A mere…. setback! That is all this is, just give me a moment and I will reveal my grand plan of besting you, beast! I am perfectly capable of doing this!" But no matter how much he struggled, the brutish Dragon would only tighten his grip and refused to let him go. Roman tried to still his racing heart, but the look of panic on his face was obvious. He was thoroughly stuck, trapped in the claws of the beastly Dragon Witch. "Let me go!" He demanded. "And I will give you the treasures of my kingdom!"

“ ** _Now, now little prince, you have lost, fair and square. You know I do not take kindly to your silly attempt at bribes! As if your foolish coffers could compare to my vast and glorious treasures! Do you know how long I've stolen from you and your brother?! You could never outbid me! Ha!"_ ** He grinned darkly and Roman looked up at him with the startling clarity that each gigantic fang of the dragon witch was about as big as his forearm. **_"But is this really the best you can do?!"_ ** He scoffed in triumph and shook Roman, rattling the Prince's brain as he climbed up onto one of Roman's castle towers. Below the crowds of people were watching and Roman could hear the citizens of the imaginary kingdom gasping in worry and fear for their royal leader. **_"Oh gracious!”_ ** the Dragon Witch cackled into the sky. **_“No tricks up your sleeve, no hidden dagger, defenseless! You truly HAVE just lost to me! Behold your prince, fair people, for he has LOST to the mightiest of Dragonkind! How hilarious!”_ **

“I am- I am just off my game today!” He protested, trying to ignore the fears of his people. "I just need a bit of a breather and I shall best you when we-" but the Dragon squeezed harder and Roman wheezed, cut off. He groaned, feeling his bones creak in the dragon’s grip. He knocked the wind out of him with the motion and Roman had to take a moment to breathe. 

**_“Not this time little prince. How amusing that I in my superior glory have bested you at last. I do not care if you think you could win if you try again, I do not care for your silly little notions, I have bested you and your kingdom belongs to me!”_ ** He hissed and his forked tongue flicked in Roman’s face. The prince grimaced and turned away. **_“You have never lost to me before and this victory is sweet. But…. Could it be that you have finally decided to give up and let me have your Kingdom~? For one who never loses, you sure were distracted. All the better for me I suppose, you learning your rightful place as he who lost to my glory!”_ **

Roman looked up at him with wide eyes and his booming laughter grew as the prince started to struggle more. “Shut up, Witch! You shall never have my Kingdom, I won’t let you turn the Imagination into the Badlands!” 

The Dragon Witch chuckled deep and ominous, seating himself elegantly and fanning his wings before tucking them in. He drew Roman close and flicked his hair with his other claws. _**“**_ ** _ **Y** ou are in no position to argue with me, you tasty little snack.” _ ** His scales glinted that pearly opalescent in the moonlight and Roman was seriously regretting ever coming here to face him. Was he truly so useless that he could not even defeat his old enemies to blow off some steam? He had honestly just wanted a distraction from the events of earlier in the day with Decei- er… with… with _Janus…_ but this was not what he had in mind!

 **_“Are you even listening, Prince Roman?!"_ ** The Witch asked and shook him angrily, snapping him out of his thoughts. **_“You are clearly preoccupied with other thoughts! How dare you! Are you so high and mighty?! I could eat you now if I so wished. What has happened to turn the heroic royalty, who has never once lost to me, who bested me at every event and who I crave to battle, into one who would lose to me within the second round? Clearly you are not at your best but this is more than that. And you will give me the respect I am owed for besting you in combat!"_ **

Roman tried to focus, ears ringing, head dizzy from the shaking. "Let me go please- I can't think with you shaking me!"

The dragon watched him a moment and huffed, rolling his massive eyes. _**“**_ ** _And let you brood over your loss like a kicked puppy? As amusing as that would be, it simply will not do. No little prince, for the first time in my existence fighting you I have bested you, do you have any inkling of what this means?"_ **

Roman could not bear to look the dragon in the eyes. He did not feel very prince-like right now and even his people were down below, watching, screaming, terrified. Weak and trapped in the claws of a dragon, told to tell him of his utmost defeat. “What good am I to be caught by you?” 

The Dragon Witch watched him with a new flash of interest in his eyes. _**“Oh I see, this is much more than a simple defeat for you, this is one among many recent defeats, how lovely! Has dear Thomas abandoned you?"**_

Roman looked up in shock, eyes wide. "How did you-" 

**_"You think I do not know what we are?! What_ ** **you** **_are? Stupid prince, I know more than you realize and this is perfect! Defeated due to misery of abandonment, how pathetic you are! Has he no need for Princes any more? No need for heroic deeds and silly songs? Just as well, you were never very good at being a prince.”_ ** As he said these hurtful words that cut so deep into Roman, the Dragon watched him carefully but the struggle was dying from the prince, the hurt truly sinking in. 

Perfect. 

A lost prince was an obedient prince. 

The Dragon Witch knew Roman did not trust him or want his company but he did know that right now this pretty little royal was weak and vulnerable and perfect for the plucking. He did not know what Thomas, the Body, had done to hurt Roman this way but he knew it was a perfect opportunity. So he did what any good, self-respecting Dragon would do and he took off into the air as people screamed in terror beneath him, the prince tight in his possessive grip. 

Roman gasped in terror as he was heaved into the air suddenly, the rush carrying his scream far away from him. “Good heavens let me down!” He protested, but the more the world rushed away from him, the more he clung to the claws and whimpered. Nonono this was bad, very very _VERY_ bad! 

He should never have come to face the Dragon Witch like this, he should not have come to blow off steam without Remus! 

The Dragon was going to feast on his bones!

Roast him to an absolute crisp!

He was going to **_die!_ **

After what felt like ages of screaming, his throat went dry, voice cracking and the unprincely tears that streamed down his face poured in rivers. He had watched the world race below him in a blur, his beautiful Kingdom (albeit a bit grey and overcast since The Incident with _Janus)_ turning to the forest, to a wide body of water, and then into the territory he hated to see. But he could not focus on the twisted trees or eyes staring from the dark depths of the forest, nor watch the checkered castle path before the rocky mountains stole the world into darkness. He struggled, frantically thrashing and trying to get free. Dying from this height was better than dying by the fires or acidic digestive juices of his captor! 

Soon, he had no more voice to scream and no more tears and the world turned darker and darker still, the sounds dulling to a pulsing thrum and the heat from the fires of the badlands nipped at him from all sides. 

He was unceremoniously dropped and he gasped in pain as he hit the hot stone with a thud. He groaned, voice hoarse and cracking, and he rolled and scrambled to his feet. The heat dried his tears away and he breathed heavily as he desperately looked for a way out. He whipped his head around to where the Dragon Witch’s massive body twisted around and he stared down with a large grin full of menacingly sharp teeth. 

To say Roman was panicking would be an _understatement_. Roman knew of the Badlands; he had many books in his library about this terrible part of the Imagination, but he had never gone here. Even Remus dared not venture into this place. It was ruled by the Dragon Witch and was the most dangerous place in the Mindscape with how close it sat upon the edges of the subconscious. 

But worse still was the way the Dragon stared at him, the intelligent look in his eyes was replaced with the kind of hunger a fox would have to a trapped rabbit and the prince was all too aware that he was the rabbit. 

“Take me back!” He demanded, tough it sounded feeble with the way it cracked and the way his body trembled. “Take me back this instant!” The witch had never dared to do this kind of thing before. Sure he would threaten, sure he would laugh maniacally and blow fire at him and try to kill him every other week, but though their battles were fierce, Roman had never _lost_ before. This was completely new and terrifying territory both physically and metaphorically. 

**_“And give up my prize? Absolutely not. You lost, Roman! You let your silly little worries cloud your pretty little head and you’ve gone and allowed yourself to lose to me, forfeiting! By the rights of the Dragonkin of old, I have the right and authority to claim my Victory Prize.”_ **He grinned wickedly and his teeth were too sharp for Roman’s liking as he stalked closer, looming over the prince.

“Victory prize?!” Roman clenched his fists, but backed up, feet hitting the edge of the stone and he glanced behind himself only to gasp and see boiling lava beneath him. He had no idea how high up they were until now and his head whirled around, eyes wide and horrified. He tried desperately to put on a front of bravery but after what happened he really truly did not feel brave at all. “I- I will not let you rule my Kingdom! I will NEVER let you ruin the lives of any of Thomas’s Imaginary Citizens again! I will fight you with my bare hands if, if I must! I vowed that before and I’ll repeat it! I promised to keep them safe, I _have_ to keep them safe!”

The dragon cackled so loud it’s booming sound shook the stone beneath the prince’s feet and he stumbled, landing hard on his rear so he would not fall into the lava. **_“Foolish little prince! You can do nothing, now! I can do as I please and by the Old Laws, I can ruin whomever’s life I wish! But you are so feeble-minded and foolish, little prince! I do not want to burn your_ ** **pathetic** **_kingdom! I am a Dragon, you stupid, pathetic boy, I crave treasures!”_ ** He wrapped his claws around him again and dragged him close, his hot breath more intense than the volcanic heat. _**“**_ ** _And there is no greater treasure for a Dragon to Possess than that of royal blood.”_ **

Roman’s eyes went wide as he was lifted, the Dragon Witch grinning darkly as he clawed his way up the large ash-charred tower of stone and with a last triumphant grin, the witch pushed Roman into the tower, the prince wincing as he landed on the floor and he looked up just in time to see the window bars slam shut, locking him inside. “NO!” He raced to the window, the only way out, and gripped the hot iron bars, tugging fiercely. He couldn’t use his sinking out abilities this close to the subconscious, couldn’t call for the others or summon them or anything else for that matter and he most certainly couldn’t call for Thomas. “Let me out of here you stupid reptile!” 

The dragon’s eye was so big it blocked the whole outside as he peered in at him, glowing like embers. **_“I bet it pains you more than anything to lose, but it must pain you even more than that to know that you let this happen, that you let me win and that you deserve this.”_ **

Roman gripped the bars tighter. “That’s not true!” 

**_“Oh it’s true. You let me win because those other sides made you feel useless, well you know what little prince? They're right, you are~ You are no help to them; just you watch. They aren’t going to come for you, they aren’t going to notice you’re gone. If you are so useless then who cares if you disappear? It’s perfect! I can have you all to myself, little treasure. Like you said, your dear Thomas has no need for heroes or princes. You are_ ** **obsolete** **_. But not to me, oh no, you are special to me~ Soon you will see that, little prince, and soon you will learn your place.”_ **

“No!" Roman tried to pry the bars off as he watched the Dragon Witch start to leave, fresh tears trying to fall and getting soaked up by the heat. “You can’t leave me here, it’s not true!” He called, desperation clawing at him. 

**_“The bars are enchanted, little treasure. You will not be getting out of that tower unless I say so. So you best behave.”_ ** He mused with a deep guttural purr. **_“Best get comfortable.”_ **He turned and leapt into the air, Roman watching as the Dragon witch began to fly off and descend to where the prince could not see.

“Stop! I can’t stay here!” He called desperately. “I’m too close to the subconscious! I don't know what it'll do to me! Let me go! DRAGON WITCH! COME BACK!” He pleaded, but his cries were met with silence and the distant sound of rolling magma.


	2. Not So Calm Morning

_“What the fuck did you do with my shitfaced brother?!”_

Virgil winced when he heard the noise and he looked up from where he had been pouring tea, cursing under his breath as he spilled it all over the counter. “Do you mind?” he asked, seeing the feral of the Creativity twins storming into the kitchen in nothing but his “bootylicious” neon green boxers. Remus didn’t give two shits about Patton gasping at his language (and his appearance), nor did he look at Virgil talking. He went straight for Logan, who looked up from his phone and did not flinch as the stinky trash rat slammed his fists on the table. 

Logan, who had been trying to research and who was already dressed for the day, paused and set his pen down, foregoing his notes in favour of finding out what the ruckus was about. “If you are referring to Roman, and by your colourful language and distaste for him, I assume you are, I have not seen him since yesterday. Why?” 

Remus snarled and gripped Logan by the collar but the other just sipped his earl grey around him. “Don’t you fucking lie to me, you and he bitch at each other more than anyone else in this whole fucking garbage pile, so clearly you must be the one who upset him! What the hell did you do to him?!” 

Logan glared and set his mug down before prying his hands off of him. “If anyone should be annoyed after yesterday’s video it should be me, or did you all forget that I was yanked by the neck out of the conversation?” 

Across the table at the stairs Janus, who had come down the stairs a bit nervous to join the Light Sides for the first time since he and Thomas really got on, winced at this particular notion, but he did not really feel like saying sorry when Remus was snarling. So instead he made his way down in his slippers and yellow banana pjs for breakfast, intending to apologize later. “Really Remus, first thing in the morning and you’re trying to get a little asphyxiation in? Do be courteous.” 

Remus whirled around and growled at him, yapping like a wild dog for a moment as loud as he could. “ANSWER ME YOU FUCKWADS! WHERE THE HELL IS MY BROTHER!”

Logan crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. Patton looked guilty for not saying anything and Virgil was just confused as to the events of the day previous, having spent all day in his room and only now really hearing about how the video went.. “Calm down Remus and elaborate.” Logan was always so composed. “Is roman not in his room?” 

“In his room?!” Remus shook his head, tentacles splaying around very obscenely. “NO! Not in his _room,_ not in his _realm_ , not in his “super secret” absolutely _not_ secret shrine to all the famous boys we like! He’s not in the training grounds and I can’t _feel_ him at all! What did you do?!” 

Janus flinched. “Remus….” He said hesitantly. “You can’t feel him?” 

The other shook his head, clearly distraught. 

Patton made a soft noise. “He… he was really upset after what happened yesterday…. I tried to talk to him after I left Janus with Thomas but he was upset as we went up the stairs and I-” 

Remus looked at Deceit. “Janus?! You _told_ them?!” 

Deceit held up a hand. “Not important right now, we need to focus.” 

“-said he didn’t want to talk right away, and he said he was fine, and while I didn’t believe him, I didn’t want to make things worse and you can only apologize so much before everything starts to fall apart so…..” Patton continued and blushed when he realized he was rambling. Virgil gently pat his back and Patton smiled at him. “But um…. the point is, he said he wanted to blow off some steam so I assumed he meant the Imagination.” 

“Yeah doy captain obvious!” Remus groaned. “Janny here made him upset and so did you _Dadzilla_. But he’s not in our usual sparring area and he didn’t meet me for our customary fight to the death before bedtime!” He crossed his arms. “I didn’t even get to tell him to sleep well and that I’d be sure to kill him in the morning….”

“Princess Bride Reference.” Virgil lifted his mug in a toast. “Nice.” 

“I thought maybe he got his panties in a twist but now I can’t feel him at all.” Remus crossed his arms.

“Let us go back to the part where you said you could no longer sense him. He’s your twin, Remus.” Janus said as he poured a cup of coffee. Virgil grunted at him but looked to Remus. It was really weird having both of them here. He had started to get used to Remus’s presence because the man just would not leave them alone since his video debut and now he was at every meal making a ruckus.

“You should be able to sense him always.” Logan explained. “As he is the literal other half of your core function.” 

“I KNOW!” Remus ran a hand through his hair, the white-greyst streak spilling through his fingers and then he fidgeted with his moustache. “I…. I’m really _worried_ …. What if he fell in the moat and was eaten by alligators feasting on his entrails?” Patton scrunched his nose up at that. “What if he was pierced by the manticorechimera’s tail and was left frozen and rotting from it’s poisons in the enchanted forest in the imagination, left to rot alone where I couldn’t watch?! Well it’s asleep… but what if another new manticorechimera species came?! What if he was poisoned by wild mushrooms and spasmed all over the forest floor?! What if he ducked out?!” 

“You’d still feel him if he ducked out.” Logan pointed out, trying to calm him down. All this talk was making Virgil clutch his tea nervously. “No, the only way for one of us to totally disappear, particularly as you two are linked so closely is if he were to,” Logan gestured with his hand, “go into the part of the Imagination which is closest linked to the Subconscious.” 

The others froze as that sunk in. “I _can’t_ feel him….!” Remus whirled to face Patton. “What did you DO to him?!” And he looked at Janus. “What the fuck did you do to make him so upset he’d go there?! He’s stupid sometimes but he’s not that stupid! What did you do?!” 

“We- we didn’t do anything on purpose!” Patton replied hurriedly, guilt etched in his face. “I- I didn;t mean to make him upset!” 

“I made him upset, Patton, and your trusting in me made it worse.” Janus sighed. 

  
“But, but he’s our brave prince, he wouldn’t just… do that would he? He wouldn;t go there on his own w-would he?” 

“Ducking out is not the same thing as what you’re implying, Logan.” Virgil said seriously. “The subconscious is dangerous, he could be reabsorbed or _worse_.” 

“I know this. And I fully believe he is not foolish enough to go there on his own. When did anyone last see him?” 

“Like Patton said.” Janus stated. “Yesterday. Last night he insisted he was going into the Imagination to blow off steam.” 

“Well it certainly wasn’t with me!” Remus scoffed, offended. 

“Who else does he spar with?” Janus looked around the living room/dining room/kitchen combo.

Remus thought about Janus’s question. “Let’s see, Manticorechimera…. The Dragon Witch…. Krakken…. Hydra…. Jabberwocky”

“The Krakken is mostly _your_ foe.” Virgil shook his head and Remus nodded. 

“Yeah that bastard’s mine… Jabby too. Mostly Roman handles the Manticorechimera and the Dragon Witch but Manti’s not one to win against him right now with it being hibernation season and all….… And Hydra’s still sore from the last time Roman beat her ass.” He paused and his eyes went wide. “Holy fishtits I know what happened…..”

“Care to share with the group?” Virgil asked as Remus’s eyes went wide, his tentacles knocking into things as he started to pace. 

“The Witch took him- Roman… he… I didn’t think it was possible for that egotistical bitchface to ever get that low but…” 

“ _Explain_.” Virgil urged, but Janus figured it out before he could say anything. 

“I love my brother. We fight like feral cats but I love him even if he hates me. I know when he’s low and if he went to fight DW instead of me while he was upset?”

“DW? As in the sister from _Arthur_?” Patton asked in a whisper, confused. 

“No as in Dragon Witch.” Virgil whispered back.

“If he fought him he was not feeling very glittery. The last time he did that he came back victorious but hella bruised….. I think DW took him to the _Badlands_ …..” 

Virgil set his tea down immediately and pulled on his hoodie. “We gotta go _now._ ” 

“Someone please explain?” Patton asked. “I am thoroughly confused."

“Yes, concisely and clearly please?” Logan, Virgil and Patton stared at Remus and Janus. 

“Uhg you two are as brainless as a mindflayer’s victim, it’s-” Remus started.

Janus held a hand up to shush Remus. “Tact, Remus, but we do not have time to explain it now fully. Get dressed and prepare for a journey to the Imagination. Patton, we must go into there immediately to retrieve Roman, pack food, Logan, get tools. Virgil, safety equipment, Remus? Uh…. weapons if you please.”

“Already on it!” 

*~*~*~*~*~*

“Does this mean that the Dragon Witch hurt Roman?!” Patton asked as he and Logan followed the three ‘dark sides’ down the hall.

“In all likelihood, yes.” Virgil grimaced. 

“Like I said, if Roman was off his game and lost to the Witch somehow, he would have taken him to the Badlands.” Janus explained.

“You keep saying that but my maps of the Imagination have no record of that location.” Logan said as he summoned up his map and scanned over it. “All I have is Roman’s Kingdom, the Enchanted Forest, the Sea of Emotion, and the Borderline.” 

Remus gasped indignantly as he snatched up the map and retracted his tentacles. “How dare he! That little bitch! Prince Pampered neglected to write down my half of the Imagination, how rude!” 

“ _Your_ half?” Patton nervously wrung his hands, securing the bag on his shoulder. It was best to be prepared and he tried to do his very best. “I’ve never seen anything but Roman’s Kingdom.”

“Uh DUH, my half! Did you forget I am ALSO Creativity? Roman has his lovely little kingdom and ooh faeries and unicorns and dragons~!” He stuck his tongue out. “Boring! Wonderland is SO much better! Oh my giblets I’m gonna have to show you the Stink Bog and Confusion Wood and Fuck Island, you’ll LOVE Fuck Island it’s _so_ sexy!” 

“Perhaps some other time, Remus, focus.” Janus insisted. 

“Right, right.” He tore open his bedroom door and the others groaned at the smell. 

“Jesus, clean your room for once Rem, it smells like a sewer in here.” Virgil grunted as he kicked laundry out of the way. They all tried not to focus on what looked like copious bloodstains and… other questionable stains. 

“Thank you! I try very hard to make it deplorable, isn’t it awesome? Why don’t you all visit more?” He teased.

“Hmm… let us…. use Roman’s entrance into the Imagination.” Logan held his nose and waved his hand. “It would be more… palatable in every fashion of the word.” 

Remus crossed his arms. “If we use his entrance we won’t be able to get to the Badlands without having to cross through Roman’s territory first and that’ll take time. We can’t just _magic_ our way through the Imagination where we want to go… it doesn’t follow that rhetoric, especially when Thomas is asleep. It follows whatever rules it wants and only Roman and I can tame it, but Roman’s not here.” 

“Hmm, yes and waking him at this time would be inappropriate for decent REM sleep….” Logan sighed. “Fine, we shall take your path.” 

“Awesome!” Remus threw his hands into the air excitedly. “You’re gonna love it! Wonderland is THE coolest most extravagant and dastardly awesome place in the Mindscape!” He pulled off the ratty sheet from the magic mirror and the glass showed a deep black surface like a black hole. 

“Fascinating…” Logan muttered. 

“What?! No it’s not, where the fuck is my realm?!” He pressed his hand to the surface of the dark void and it refused to fall through the looking glass. “ExCUSE me?! This is not how the entrance works, someone’s barred me from Wonderland!” 

Logan pressed a hand to the surface of the void. “Hmm…. something is definitely wrong with Roman if even your realm is being affected. Let us see if it is possible to get through Roman’s mirror. If not… you will have to directly summon us.” 

“That’s gonna be a bit of a problem.” Virgil re-entered the room with a handful of glass. “Roman’s mirror has been shattered from the inside out. Remus…. You’re gonna have to take us.” 

He nodded and his tentacles whooched out. “Ew… gross…” Janus grimaced. “Get these off of me.” 

“No can do Hugh-Janus, Gotta whisk us all at once and contact is the best way, everyone! Keep your hands and feet inside the the squirmy tentacles for the duration of the flight. If in the event of a crash, please allow your spines to fly out your nose at great speeds!! We are now departing the Mindspace. Estimated time of arrival is right now!”

With a POP! The others gasped, dizzy as they all quite suddenly appeared in the Imagination.


	3. The Tower

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: I am mean to Roman.   
> Self-deprecating thoughts, thoughts of uselessness, selfishness, unworthiness and doubt, physical distress in the form of heat exhaustion, hand burns, aches and pains, and talk of confined space.

The tower was unbearably small, the 5 foot diameter of the stone interior was ridiculously pressing. The Prince could not even lay down properly without having to curl up a little and he had no way to escape the heat which poured in from the bars on the window. For hours he struggled, trying to pry the bars off, rubbing his hands raw on the hot metal surface and trying desperately to get free, all the while the endlessly pressing feeling of the subconscious nagged at the back of his brain and made him feel twice as trapped. When tugging the bars proved useless and his exhaustion started to gnaw at his heels, he turned to the stone, tracing his hands along the walls and floor of the tower to try and find a way out. He searched for holes which might indicate loose stones, but he could find neither hole, nor a handhold to use to climb up towards the roof to check there. 

Roman was well and thoroughly stuck and the heat was certainly not helping things. The Badlands were a nonstop heatwave and he wiped sweat from his brow, dragging off his tanktop and dabbing at his forehead. There were voices too, indiscernible whispers which, if Roman were entirely honest with himself,  _ terrified _ him. At first he thought the whispers were his imagination, but then he realized that he WAS in the Imagination and if it had been him dreaming them up they would have stopped on his command or at least changed. These, however, were different. they were more sinister and he did not want to think about what they were saying because deep in his heart he believed that their words were terrible truths he did not wish to face, especially now.

“It’s not like that stupid Dragon  _ had _ to put me in here without air conditioning…” He focused on the heat because it was much less terrifying than the whispers, willing himself to summon a cool draft, a fan, a bucket of water, _something_ which might cool him off, and yet no such thing appeared for him. 

Roman sighed and sank to the floor, the stones at least a little cooler there so long as he stayed opposite the window. It was certainly not enough but it was better than standing by the immediate blast of heat. He looked down at his hands and sighed. They had burn marks and were in considerable pain from where he’d tried to yank the metal and his neck and shoulders hurt from the action, not to mention the injuries from the battle with the Dragon witch that he’d  _ lost _ …

Because that really happened, didn't it? 

Roman  _ lost  _ to the Dragon Witch and it was all because he stupidly tried to fight him without backup and while his head was preoccupied with what Thomas and Deceit…. Er….  _ Janus _ …. and Patton had told him. His head was pounding with the heat and he could do nothing but stew in his thoughts.

_ Maybe if he loved you he would have told you his name sooner. _

_ Maybe if he had loved you he would not have used you. _

_ Maybe if he had loved you, he wouldn’t have tricked you into making Thomas go to that wedding.  _

He groaned, trying to block out the whispers. They were growing louder, much to his dismay. 

_ You lost to the dragon on purpose. _

_ You lost deliberately because you wanted them to come and rescue you to prove that they love you. _

“Shut up…..” Roman tried to block out the noise, his hands pressing against his ears. 

_ But nobody is coming after you Roman. _

_ Nobody wants you. _

_ Thomas doesn’t think you’re his Hero. _

_ Thomas doesn’t need you.  _

_ Someone else can handle Creativity, can’t they?  _

_ You’re the PG version.  _

_ The Child’s version.  _

_ Thomas is an adult, Roman. _

_ He doesn’t need you anymore. _

He felt his eyes burn and he groaned. All of those nasty thoughts were the same ones he had swirling in his brain and he hated that the subconscious was tearing down his walls and making him hear those vulnerabilities. Normally he could at least try to tune the thoughts out but now… now they were there laid bare for him to face. It was awful and he tried to focus on escaping, but it felt so hopeless and he felt so  _ small  _ right now, so weak. “Maybe the witch was _ right _ .” He felt a pang in his chest as he thought back to their conversation and his shoulders sagged as he looked out the window. “Maybe I am useless and unneeded. I couldn’t even win a fight I’ve won a million times before because I couldn't bring myself to win.” And he knew that the whispers were right.... he  _ had _ lost on purpose. “Maybe…. Maybe the Dragon Witch was correct in thinking that Thomas has no need of heroes. That lying  _ snak _ e sure thinks so.” He curled his arms around himself, and immediately the guilt for calling Janus' name stupid settled into his bones. There was a time when Roman would have given his  _ heart _ to the deceptive side, believing his pretty lies like a stupid, naive child. 

Roman was always so naive and admitting that to himself made his chest hurt and his wrists ache, a terrible sadness chaining around his heart and squeezing just as the Dragon Witch had squeezed his body. The voices knew, they read him like an open book. He was foolishly in love and stupidly trusted the man, knowing all he told were lies….. He thought Janus was wonderful but Virgil insisted all he could do was lie, that they only knew him as a liar, that all of those pretty words and promises that he loved him were…. were _fake_ …..

Roman was always so fragile and stupid and not really good at anything except causing conflicts, that’s what he thought of himself and the whispers tended to agree. 

_ If you hadn’t believed the snake you wouldn’t have hurt making the decisions you did. _

_ You would have been blissfully unaware. _

_ You would have kept making noble sacrifices and being the hero you should be. _

It hurt more than anything knowing that Janus had never truly cared for him. But all he spoke were lies, how was he to ever trust him when he was used like that? He sighed again, the heat unbearable and tried to push those thoughts away. Janus didn’t matter. Janus had his own life and his own problems and would never come looking for Roman no matter how much he stupidly, foolishly, childishly  _ wished _ that he would have. After all, why should he? Roman made fun of his name and messed everything up like  _ usual _ . 

“I never can say anything right, can I?”

_ It is why you are no hero. _

_ Your noble deeds are pointless. _

_ Your wishes are disregarded. _

_ You do not matter to Thomas.  _

Again he felt that pang in his body spread and he held his hands close to his chest, palms hurting from the pulsing pain of the heartache and for a moment the whispers grew quiet. The only noises he could hear were the sounds of his own breathing and every so often the sound of the heat rolling off the churning magma outside, barely illuminating the smoke-clogged skies. 

“Thomas said that when I blamed myself, I was saying stupid things even though he knew I was right….. I… I wanted to go to the callback but….”

Silence and Roman took a shaking breath. He thought maybe the voices could help him figure all of this out. At least he’d have someone to talk to, so he continued. “But that was selfish and wrong of me to want to follow my dreams…. They are… they are foolish. They do not help Thomas to be a good person or even a productive one. I… I do not want to be the villain, I don't want to be banished like Remus, I don't..... I _can't_ be the evil twin….” He felt tears welling in his eyes. “Going to the wedding was a deserved punishment for thinking selfishly, that… it… it was the right thing to do, I  _ know _ it was!” His confusion grew in his anguish. “But Patton said doing a selfless act for the wrong reasons is bad….. That….. that going to the wedding in hopes of praise is bad. But I didn't want praise I just… I just kept his mind solely on my desires and how much it hurts that we couldn’t…. That he…. couldn’t do what I selfishly wanted…..” 

He sat in silence for a moment. “But that was my fault…. I made the choice to go… and yet I couldn’t stop feeling like the whole decision was wrong. And then I lied to Patton and told him it wasn't a problem and….. Thomas felt  _ awful  _ for being selfish and thinking like that. I was making him feel terrible for his desires.” He shook his head. “And yet…. yesterday….. All he could tell me was that that was  _ wrong  _ for Thomas and that my decision in trying to make him happy hurt him. Again.... When was the last time I was right? When I had a good idea? When what I said or, or  _ did _ , contributed anything but negativity?” 

_ You call them names. _

_ You hinder efficient progress. _

_ You selfishly focus on your desires. _

_ You cannot please others. _

_ You are a broken Ego.  _

_ You cannot be anything but selfish and hurtful. _

“But they told me it’s ok to be selfish!” He protested. “They told me being selfish isn’t wrong but whenever _I’m_ selfish it hurts  **_everyone!”_ ** He clapped his hands against his mouth, shaking as the tears poured down his cheeks, finally spilling properly but not lasting in the heat. He hated hearing his voice break and grow scary. It was ok for Virgil to be scary, for his voice to go booming like that but Roman wasn't supposed to be scary or frightening or mean. And yet everything he did contradicted that! He sat up and glared at the floor. What even was he  _ for _ at this point?! As creativity Thomas did not ask him for advice or even help with game ideas half the time. As Ego, he was bruised too often, as Romance he was a suffering, lonely, miserable mess whose only crush turned out to hate him, and told he was too much and his ideas were impulsive and reckless and unneeded. As Prince Roman he was naive and foolish and dreamy and no matter how much he tried to adjust to what everyone needed, no matter how much he tried to  _ change _ for them, to be what they needed him to be, it never worked! No one ever saw him as anything but rude and naive, or worse, saw him as his  _ brother _ ; everything Thomas openly shunned and  _ despised _ . 

Roman ran a hand down his face. __

_ If you had a moustache I wouldn’t know who the Evil Twin was. _

How cruel of the whispers to bring Janus’ voice into the mix just to rip his heartstrings. Those words rattled around his brain and he groaned, stinging harder than ever because Janus knew how he felt about that, knew how much he didn’t want to be pushed away, how much he was struggling to be useful. The words hurt, but the fact that it came from Janus, the one person he thought once upon a time that might possibly love him back, who led them all astray- that was even  _ worse _ . 

_ You are not a hero. _

_ You are barely even a side. _

_ What use are you now when you have lost deliberately for selfish reasons?  _

Roman’s shoulders slumped. “I am no hero…..” He rolled over, eyes drooping, exhaustion overwhelming with the heat and he could hear his pulse in his ears. The cry didn;t feel like enough but he was dehydrated enough as it was. He could not die… or at least he was pretty sure a side couldn’t die, but how much of a side was he really any more? 

The space he was trapped in felt so small….

How could Thomas let himself be led by the snake who broke Roman’s heart? Janus built him up, assured him that they could convince Thomas that the callback was more important. And for once Roman had dared to dream that maybe for once he could get what he wanted, that he didn’t have to give up his dreams this time because this was their big chance, that he could prove to Thomas that he was useful! 

And then it all came crashing down. 

All that praise, all that flirting, all the flattery…..

All of it was a  _ lie _ to get Thomas to prove he was selfish. 

All of it was a cruel and horrible joke to play on someone with a heart and ego as fragile as Roman’s. He tried to be selfless. They went to the wedding on his declaration because Roman thought it was the  _ right  _ thing to do, thought that they would feel better if they went. And then they _ didn’t _ . But it was a noble sacrifice because it was ultimately better for Thomas. 

_ Except that it wasn’t. _

And then Janus had to come and say that his actions were  _ pointless _ . 

_ Because they were.  _

He was miserable and his whole reasons for being a Prince were selfish and terrible. 

“I don’t know what to _ do _ .” He finally sighed aloud, curling into himself as he realized he was still crying, the tears drying up quickly in the heat which was sure getting to him, but it felt like more than just that and part of the creative side knew it was because he was close to the subconscious. Being this close, he knew, was bad for him. He was Creativity but he was also Passion and Ego and to be this close to the subconscious, the place from where all of them originated, he knew his heightened emotions were being tapped by it and exposed. 

He felt physically and emotionally drained. 

How long had he been there? It felt like hours….. 

The Dragon Witch said that no one was coming for him. Was that true? Would they really not notice he was missing? Or worse, if they did discover he was gone, would they think to come all the way out there? He curled up into a tight ball and covered his face. 

No, he was trapped and at the mercy of a beast who he had injured many times in battle, who, for all his credit, seemed to be the only creature in Thomas’s Mindscape that actively  _ wanted  _ the prince.


	4. The Kingdom

Logan had never truly been to the Imagination. It was a place of unfiltered disorder and illogicality, and the very idea of it to the Logical side gave him a permanent headache that sat behind his eyes and refused to go away. The few times he had been inside parts of the Imagination, Roman had kept them on the edge in Daydream Mode so as not to hurt him, but they needed to find Roman now so going inside was unavoidable. Actually being within the Imagination as opposed to the outskirts was so much worse and Logan groaned and held his head as he swayed and braced himself against a tree. 

“This is not what I expected….” Patton said softly to his right and Logan looked up. What they should have been seeing was how Roman’s maps and photographs described it. There should be a beautiful meadow with a lamp post and a pretty cobbled path that trailed to Roman’s golden Kingdom gates. The photos Roman snapped hung all over the house and they were very dreamy and beautiful; picturesque was almost too simple a term for the snapshots they had all seen, but this was anything but the beautiful paradise. The kingdom of Lionheart, Roman had explained to them all many many times, was “the most beautiful and dazzling kingdom you will ever see, with a gorgeous view of the Sea of Dreams, a lovely entrance to the Enchanted Forest, and the castle” he had assured, “was more beautiful than any Disney castle because it was a mix of them all.” 

It should have been stunningly beautiful and yet that was not what they could see. 

Cresting the hill his castle should have sat upon were not the beautiful white towers, nor the red and gold banners which adorned them. The golden gates were marred by claw marks, the metal melted into itself and crushed from a great force crashing them down. The meadows, once full of butterflies lay dead and dying, charred and burned and still smouldering from what could have only been a fiery attack, brittle and devoid of flowers. The stone path was broken apart beneath their feet, great masses of rubble torn from buildings, houses and the castle and hurtled around the Kingdom as projectiles. The skies once beautifully clear and with perfect weather for whatever occasion was necessary, now sat overcast and grey as thunder rumbled but no rain fell to put the fires out. The sea beyond the Kingdom churned as winds howled forlornly through the creaking of the Enchanted Forest’s trees. The forest itself was burning still, wildlife still fleeing weakened and injured as the magic drained from their roots, burned by dragonflame still rushing outwards from the kingdom.

“Woah and he thought Wonderland was shitty, this place is a dump.” Remus had his hands on his hips. “I’m surprised I ended up here, I should have deposited us right into Wonderland, but apparently…..” He flexed his fingers and looked at his hands. “That damned witch has put up a blockade. Not that there’s anything wrong with hoofing it, but this is… this is going too far. Only I am allowed to make this much destruction in this world.” He turned to look at them. “While where-for-art-thou-Roman-O’s kingdom is finally looking kind of cool instead of the Dulock-esque shithole it was before, I think the Dragon Witch has gone WAY too far this time.” 

Leading them all forward, they took in the chaos with mixed emotions. These were Roman’s citizens, figments of the imagination all with their own lovely Original Character, fictional lives. To cause such chaos there was surely putting a toll on Thomas’s creativity and mental state.

Logan closed his eyes and took a breath. It was not… necessarily  _ safe _ for him in the Imagination, but he would do what he must for the sake of retrieving Roman. And by the look that Janus was giving as he stared at the crumbling city, he too was not having a good time. “Are you alright?” Logan asked and Janus jumped, his snake eye shifting to look at him. 

“Just _ peachy. _ ” He replied, but even that lie did not taste sweet. 

“By your tone I would take that as an....” Logan thought for a moment, “uno reverse. I believe that is the idiom?” 

Janus chuckled. “Perhaps. But no, this whole Kingdom is full of terrible, sour lies.” He flicked his tongue and the split appendage tasted the air. “Roman’s Kingdom is always full of lies, but they are generally soft lies. Sweet. Born of bravado, performance, creativity and a desire to pretend things are ok. Ego boosting lies we tell ourselves to cope with unsavoury feelings. Patton often tastes of them too. But this…” He gestured to where the townsfolk were still working to clear the rubble and help each other. Ash seemed to line the streets and the air and several village buildings were still burning. The figments of the Imagination were working so hard, trying to drag each other out of the destruction. Many were injured, many more lay still and unmoving, and Patton rushed forward with fear in his eyes, trying to help them out of the chaos. 

“Are you ok?!” He called and helped heave rubble from a collapsed wall off of a young man who gasped. 

“Lord Patton!” He called. “Everyone, the nobles are here! Prince Remus is here!!” 

“Prince?” Logan looked at him but he rolled his eyes. 

“Duke you ignorant sluts, it’s Duke Remus!” 

They seemed to ignore him, Figments all beginning to look up and approach them quickly, crowding around the group. Logan studied all of them, Janus eyed them, Remus sighed and rolled his eyes and Virgil warily watched each of their movements like a hawk, clearly uncomfortable with the crowd.

Patton was approached by a very rickety old woman who leaned heavily on her cane. Like almost all Imagination-dwellers, she was only vaguely-faced, her features resembling the  _ idea _ of an old woman, as if several old women Thomas had seen before had been smushed together, rather than any one solid person in particular. The longer you looked the more like an old woman she appeared, but that was all that could be defined of her features. Likewise, the children who peered out from alleys, and the adults who crowded around had similar features. 

“What happened here.” Virgil demanded, though his tone was gentle if agitated. “Are you all ok?” 

Logan, unlike the others, did not see the woman as a woman. To him, all of these people were faceless mannequins, just as his brain was processing the buildings as stage buildings and the destruction as set-strewn. He could not fully comprehend any of this as reality and so his mind was forcing it to interpret everything as somewhat falsified. “I would assume that this destruction came from a dragon attack?”

The old woman nodded her head and gently touched Patton’s shoulder with frail fingers. “My child, this place is dangerous. You would all do well to return to where you came from. We have heard legends of the great Lords from Prince Roman’s stories and of your astounding feats. The bold words of the bespectacled Storyweaver who could cut demons in half with his tongue.” She said, looking at Logan. “The loving Healer whose touch could make even the weakest of heroes stand to fight another day.” She looked at Patton and then turned to Virgil. “The mysterious sorcerer whose magics could shake the world with thunder to ward off even the scariest and mightiests of beasts.” Virgil blushed. Did Roman really see them this way? “And of course the noble brother to our beloved Prince, Ruler of Wonderland and his greatest and most cherished foe.”

Remus smirked and waved a hand. “You’re full of flattery today old hag!” 

But then her eyes landed upon Janus who was knelt down by a child and checking her over. “Ahk! The Serpent! Why have you brought that villain here?!” 

“Villain?” Janus looked up and frowned, sighing. “Of  _ course  _ he would tell them all I am a villain, keep up the theatrics Roman, it  _ never _ gets old how he villainizes me.” 

“It’s just his aestheric sweetcheeks.” Remus said. 

“Yeah as much as it pains me to say it,” Virgil shoved his hands into his pockets. “Janus isn’t a villain. Sneaky liar and often a backstabbing little bi- uh…” He saw Patton glaring at him, “Backstabbing little… person.... but he’s not a villain. He just dresses like one.”

But the other townsfolk had drawn away from Janus. “Do not speak the Serpent’s name here! It is forbidden! That one’s a villain alright, stabbed the Prince in the back! Lied to his face and broke his heart!” 

Janus winced. “Ah… look I did not mean to use him, that was never the goal of-” 

“Betrayer!” The townsfolk cried, the Figments all glaring. 

“Enough!” Logan’s headache was bad enough without all of this shouting. “Your town, what happened to it? Where is Roman?” 

“Stop arguing, you are hurting Logan.” They all knew that voice and the Sides turned to see someone approaching. “His Highness was bested by the Dragon.” 

“Doctor Picani?” Patton asked. “Emile!” 

Logan felt a pang of pain in his head. “It’s just a _ figment _ .” He reminded himself upon seeing the actual face as a person and not a mannequin, as real looking as the other Sides. “He is more real than the others, just as we are, because his character is well-defined. Pure  _ logic _ .” That seemed to settle his headache back down a bit, and he sighed. 

“The Dragon Witch came and fought Roman…. The prince lost and the Dragon stole him away and returned, laying waste to the Kingdom.” Emile said, misery seeping from his usually chipper voice. “Burned the buildings, roasted the crops, cast a spell of darkness over everything…. the forest is burning, the castle is in ruins and he’s turned everything so topsy turvy that Remus’ lands are spilling into our Kingdom because of how riled up the sea is.” 

“He’s messed with Wonderland?!” Remus gasped. “Not my babies!” 

“We don’t know how far he’s gone or to what extent but he’s tearing the Imagination apart….. We tried to call for help, to get Roman to come to us, but it was no use, he’s just…. gone. Normally if we call he gets a sort of message through the mirror… but he didn’t come… why didn’t he come?” 

“We think the Dragon Witch took him to the Badlands.” Virgil stepped forward, protectively holding a hand in front of Janus before the angry townsfolk could impale the snake boy. 

Janus flashed him a grateful smile, but it fell quickly and Virgil frowned. Clearly there was more to this than their simple argument yesterday with Thomas, but now was not the time to pry.

“Don’t worry little insignificant peasants whom my brother adores!” Remus called loudly. “I’m gonna bash that dragon’s stupid skull in,” he swung his mace around and grinned, “and then I’ll bring that bitch’s head and parade it for the whole kingdom!!” 

Emile squeaked when Remus spoke and took a step back. “Your Highness! Pumba, not in front of the kids!” 

“Sorry!” Patton gave his best Pumba impression out of habit and Emile smiled and held his hand gently. Patton squeezed and patted his head reassuringly. For as upbeat as Emile was trying to be, the therapist didn’t look very confident about what was going on.

“But like seriously though, don’t go parading heads.” Virgil grunted. 

“That’s just unsanitary.” Logan waved a hand around.

“What are we going to do now?” Call some of the other Figments. “We can’t live without Roman, this is his kingdom and we are his people, how will we survive if there’s no one to lead us? What do we do now that he’s been kidnapped?” 

“Kidnap mister Sanders-Claus….” Emile nodded. “They have a point, what do we do? We’re losing our ability to stay chipper over here without him and with all this destruction.” He gestured. “The longer Roman’s gone the worse it’ll get. But we can’t exactly get down to business if our Prince isn’t here to keep order.” 

Patton sighed. “You are the BEST Emile, you’re so full of fun quotes, gosh I wish there was a better time to hang out with you!”

“I missed you too, kiddo.” 

“That’s my line!”

“Someone should lead the people until Roman returns and I vote for Emile.” Janus called. “He is the most level headed right now.” He pushed the tip of a pitchfork away from his face with a finger. “And I suggest we get moving, these people are thirsting for my head as much as Remus is for the Dragon Witch’s.”

“Well that’s a problem though….While we can help you get provisions, it’d be best if someone were to take you to Wonderland….” Emile sighed “The only way to the Badlands right now is through it, across the Sea of Dreams and uh… well, I diddly do not trust his Highness, Duke of Wonderland to lead you there unscathed…. If Remy were here he could take you but seeing as he’s not, I should probably escort you….”

“Spoilsport, ya know if  _ I _ had created you,” Remus poked him in the nose. “You’d get to say the word  _ fuck _ , Emile, wouldn’t you like that?” 

“You already made Remy sassy, I don’t need you messing with me.”

“Spoilsports all of you, dull boring SAD excuses for creations!” Remus whined and Janus elbowed him. 

“Play nice, Remus.” Janus scolded. “For, while I know you would just love to take us there in the anus of…. Oh… say, a large _ whale _ , I think it best we travel the way these denizens would, that way Emile can stay to lead the people….” 

“No.” It was the old woman who spoke and they turned to her, seeing another Figment limp his way out of the building behind her.. “Let Dr. Picani and Remy take you. They are well-versed in these parts and know the Imagination well.” 

“Remy!” Emile gasped and rushed to his side, fussing over him. 

“I’m fine babe, I could hear you through the window. We can’t let you enter Wonderland through a whale ass or whatever.”

“ _ Fine. _ ” Remus shrugged. “No skin off my back Snakenado, but for the record you all are very, very boring.” 

All of this conversing and the appearance of Remy who to Logan also appears extremely and uncomfortably realistic for his liking, caused his headache to return. “Can we please find somewhere safe to stock up so we may travel? Janus is likely not going to remain in tact if the townsfolk have any say about it.” 

Janus yanked his cape away from those tugging on it and hissed. “Do keep it up! I wouldn’t want you to put your time to waste harassing me instead of helping figments out of the rubble.” 

“Thank you for your help.” Patton said to the old woman before he gestured. “Logan, please take Janus to the docks with Remy and Remus. I’ll take Virgil to get travel stuff with Emile ok?” 

They were all too eager to oblige. 

Janus groaned once they made it to the dock. Remy could sense the tension and held a hand up. “I’ll get the boat babes.” He was smart enough to know that Logan and Janus needed to talk privately and he dragged Remus with to keep an eye on him. Remus didn't care, he loved the sea and all manner of ships. He whipped up himself a sleazy pirate Captain’s outfit and had himself a blast.

The wind was cold and Janus shivered a little, pulling his cape closer. 

“Those figments truly hate you.” Logan said, sitting on a crate. “While this place genuinely makes my head feel as though I am lightly concussed, it did not escape me that they were after you. Why is this?” 

Janus crossed his arms. “This is not 20 questions.” 

“And that was not an answer.” 

“Fine, let us for the sake of brevity, assume that I am responsible for upsetting Roman. There is not much else to say except his people clearly know about it.” 

Logan adjusted his glasses. “I am aware of the arguments you had with Thomas, Janus, I was there until you yanked me away and knocked me out, or have you conveniently forgotten that part?” 

The deceptive side tensed. “Yes, well….. sorry Logan.” He sighed, his words rather honest and Logan did appreciate that. 

“It sounds like there’s more to it than yesterday’s incident. Do you… wish to speak of it?” 

Janus sighed and shook his head.. “Perhaps. But now is not the time. And forgive me if I do not fall all over myself to apologize to these people, my priority is getting Roman back and this issue is between myself and him.” The way he said it sounded as if things were left hanging in the air. There was more to it than that, but he clearly was not going to divulge and Logan was too tired to care. 

When Patton, Virgil and Emile returned they had provisions of food, medical equipment and water. 

“When in the Imagination,” Emile explained, “one must remember that we can still feel the elements. We can feel hunger, weather, thirst and we need sleep in here. It’s designed to make things feel real which is why dreams play out here. But it means we have to be careful ok? Even you Sides need to be careful.” 

“Somewhat illogically logical, which is an oxymoron I know... but I appreciate the explanation.” Logan replied. “Janus…. Let’s get going. The sooner we get to Roman the sooner you two can talk.” 


	5. Giving In

Roman did not remember falling asleep to the oppressive heat of the tower and the incessant whispers. He did not remember hearing the sound of wings against the hot air, nor the sound of claws gripping stone, or the bars being opened from outside. He felt neither the gentle tug of said large claws lifting him up, nor being carried down the tower and deeper into the castle, closer and closer still to the Subconscious. When he woke up, he groaned and felt as thought pieces of him had been stepped on, trampled by something large and tossed onto a semi-sharp surface. He felt physically drawn, as if he were nothing but Crofter’s jam scraped over too much toast; his being dragged through a taffy puller, his thoughts hard to grasp.

Gods it was so hot, and he felt like his head was burning up. Underneath him, however, was cool and he tried to lean into it. He jumped a little, however, when he felt the sharp points of things digging into him and he looked down, seeing coins and jewels. For a long moment he could not look away, his mind taking far too long to process what it was he was seeing. Confused, he sat up and ran a hand through them. The noise was ridiculously nice, the soothing clink of gold coins and gemstones scattering farther down the enormous pile. Roman briefly thought to himself that this was something he had always wanted to do, but had been suppressing that urge since he saw his own Royal Coffers for the first time. It would be unfair to his people to lie in the pile of coins and treasure like some sort of greedy miser, and yet now there seemed no reason why he shouldn’t. After all, this was not his treasure pile and the urge was too strong, especially with how cool to the touch they were. 

He had often imagined a pile of treasures to look and feel and sound as amazing as they did here, as perfectly glorious and precise as the bunches of treasures in the movie Thumbelina when she’s running away from marrying Mister Mole. Don Bluth had a really good way of making treasures look amazing and Roman knew these had popped into existence looking this way because of that. He loved how cool to the touch they all were, and he wormed his way into them, finally feeling like he could think a little easier with his body temperature no longer scorching.

He realized though that his mind was still wandering and he pressed a hand to his forehead, looking around the rest of the room. He wasn’t in the tower any more, which was a good sign, but other than that. He wasn’t sure where all this massive pile was being stored in the Dragon Witch’s castle. He turned though and gasped, the two enormous eyes of the Dragon Witch stared at him with immense amusement. He stumbled back away from the dragon and felt himself tumbling, falling down down down the uncomfortably sharp hill of treasures. He tried to get up but he winced and groaned, the motion making him dizzy and the many sharp edges of diamonds, sapphires, emeralds and rubies had cut his arm on the way down. He hissed in pain and cradled the area. “ _Ow_ ….” 

Perhaps he looked foolishly childish to the dragon, impossibly small on this enormous treasure pile, but Roman didn’t care. He was tired, he was hungry, he was miserable and the treasures were cool to the touch and he didn’t want to be eaten. Was it too much to ask for a little bit of privacy once in a while? Honestly….

 **_“Now, now little Treasure, none of that.”_ ** A gigantic paw pressed against him and scooped him up, dragging coins, jewels and beads with him. They dug into Roman and the prince whined in pain for a second time as he was moved back towards his captor.

“Let me go, Witch! You have no use for me, why even take me out of the tower? Am I to sit here in this pile of treasures and rot? You have given me no food or water or even a place to sleep! How can you say you value me if you would see me suffer?!” Roman was too tired to struggle with his body even if his words were pleading and the dragon’s paw was awfully warm which added to his ever growing headache. He really wished he was back on the treasure pile. At least the precious gems and metals seemed enchanted to stay cool. “At least put me back on the pile, it was less stifling than your heat!” 

The Dragon Witch, in spite and with malice of forethought, dragged Roman closer to his massive snout and puffed hot smoke into his face, causing the prince to sputter and choke as his captor laughed. “Vile!” Roman started to wriggle, but it was highly amusing to see his little treasure so weakened. The prince was obviously exhausted and dripping sweat, how funny the mighty prince could not take the heat and soon he panted, exhausted and unable to struggle any longer. “Let go....”

 **_“What is the matter, tiny prince? Cannot handle a little heat~? Do the fires of the Badlands cause you torment and pain? How amusing. Or perhaps…”_ ** The great beast stood on three of his legs, wings tucked neatly and pristinely against his sides as he began to move off of his massive pile, the coins all shifting and moving this way and that in a beautiful symphony of sound before he made his way towards the rest of his massive and charred castle. He padded his way farther in, Roman still tight in his grip and, growing dizzier, Roman gripped the talons holding him and tried not to heave. He felt really strange, his body stiff; a wave of vertigo washed over him and his heart pounded. **_“Maybe you are just being bossy, thinking you can order me around.”_ **

“S-slow down.... The... the Subconscious, I can’t... think....” Roman groaned and held his head.

**_“I know little snack, that is the point.”_ **

Roman just let the Dragon do as he wished, pretty much too helpless at this point to stop him. He was honestly impressed though, the farther into the castle they went and had he not been kidnapped and feeling like he was steadily withering away, maybe he would have liked to explore this place sans dragon witch. For one of Roman’s size, the castle was a Giant’s, towering stained glass windows glittering in the dim light. Somehow the immense heat was not warping the glass or the iron metalwork which held it up. All of the stained glass murals showed past battles with Roman and the Dragon Witch, sometimes Roman and Remus, other times Roman and the Hydra or the Manticorechimera or other such imaginary beasts. 

“Why....?” Roman asked once he could manage to breathe in a long enough breath to ask, shocked by seeing these stained glass murals lining the Great Hall. “Why do you have stained glass murals like this? These look as if they are honouring my battles…. I would have thought-”

 **_“You thought an evil villain such as myself would have murals of your greatest defeats? You are a foolish naive little royal. This is my castle, little snack, and you forget that I am a Dragon, the noblest of all beasts. Dragons do not stoop so low as to mark failures upon our walls, only our own victories and magnificent battles of the royalty we aspire to possess. I have followed your escapades since my creation, prince. You have never lost an Imaginary battle except to your brother with whom you always end in a gracious and exciting draw.”_ ** The dragon swayed his tail and craned his neck to look at all of the glorious battles he had made recorded upon the glass, enchanted to reenact the battles if one were to watch. **_“I have blown these into magical existence myself. Always you have sat upon the golden throne of Victory, blessed by the Ladies of Luck, Fortune and Valor. Fate has made you the epitome of shining glory. Why would I not have such treasured moments depicted upon my walls? I own you, little Prince, and I have coveted you since my creation.”_ **

Roman would have had the decency to blush had he not been suffering what he was sure was heat exhaustion. His head pounded, his stomach felt terribly nauseated… even his back and head hurt…. but he was still rather humbled by this. “I… did not know you valued me in that way.” 

**_“Of course you didn’t, you know nothing of Dragonkind. You are but a naive little treasure, but I will teach you the proper ways to behave.”_ **

The Dragon Witch moved over to what looked like a large throne built for one of his sizeand his glistening beautiful scales shifted in the firelight, curling upon his throne with ease before lifting Roman higher and seating him inside a large gilded cage. The prince groaned and tried to stand, but he swayed and sank to his knees. “You realize I will.... try and.... and escape.” He managed. 

**_“I know you will try...... but I know you will not get far, and I also know you have no reason to escape.”_ **

“What?!” Roman gripped the bars and glared. “As if I would stay here where the subconscious is ripping me to pieces for... for your amusement! Your stained glass is… flattering, I will admit, but I am not some toy to be played with!” 

**_“Tell that to the Body you so highly praise.”_ ** The Dragon sneered when Roman shied his gaze away. **_“He seems to play with and use you however he wishes with a disregard for your desires and true purpose. Roman do this, Roman accept that. Roman play nice. When was the last time he let you have what you needed to do your job proper hmm? Does it not get old being treated as a plaything by the one you desperately wish to please most in your pitiful existence?”_ **

“Do not speak of Thomas that way you heinous reptile!” Roman chose to ignore the way his voice cracked, the way his tears flowed down his cheeks and he scrubbed his eyes with his hand. Turning his back to the dragon, he hugged himself and felt terrible. Pain pounded in his spine, his ribs, his head, his hands, his feet; All of it making him feel weak and pathetic. It wasn’t fair to hear such horrible words while he was this vulnerable, it made him feel so many things he had worked for so long to push away, things he had forced himself to try and look past, to put on a brave face and ignore how he felt. But the sad truth was that he craved Thomas’s approval and the argument (Yesterday? Hours ago? Roman could not tell the passage of time in this place....) had left him feeling so very alone and unneeded, unimportant and dare he say it, _unloved_. He just wanted to be useful.... But he fought to keep his tears silent where the dragon wouldn’t see. It burned inside him how upset things had made him feel.

 **_“I may speak however I wish!”_ ** The Dragon Witch boomed. **_This is my realm, Roman; the Badlands belong to me and I can do whatever I want here.”_ **

“Yes because I banished you here....” Roman mumbled and tried to stop his crying, but this time his voice cracked and the large head of the beast who imprisoned him swiveled around. 

**_“Are you weeping?”_ ** He asked with a hot puff of smoke. **_“Don’t tell me the brave knight and prince has fallen so low as to openly weep in front of a dragon he has fought and bested many times! Have you no shame? No pride left?”_ **The Dragon Witch sounded amused, but when Roman’s shoulders sank and he shuddered, leaning against the bars and curling into himself with a noise of pain, he paused. 

He wanted his Prince to be _obedient_ for what he knew was coming, he did not want him to be downright miserable. Not for what he had planned. 

So he sighed and rose a claw, opening the cage door and tipping it so Roman squawked as he fell out and onto the Dragon’s paws. 

“Oh just _do_ it already.” Roman sniffled, trying to stand in his claws before he gasped in pain and clutched at his stomach, sinking to his side and shuddering. For a long moment he had to hold his breath, the pain racing through his body truly unbearable, before he panted and groaned.. He looked so broken, it was heartbreaking to see the Ego this low. “Just eat me… .please, this hurts…. take me back to the tower and let me wither away and die, at… at least there it’s not so painful…..” He grimaced again, clawing at the scales on the Dragon Witch who watched him curiously. He did not remember it hurting this much.

But all Roman could hear were the sounds of the voices tormenting him. The voices were right, nobody needed him. “I only make things worse…..” The tears fell more incessantly and he broke into sobs, the pain too much to handle as he writhed in the claws of the dragon. The Witch brought him closer, genuinely confused.

Roman should be upset, yes, pissed about losing, sure; a little broken in spirit is good for a Dragon’s captive, especially a royal one. It means they will not try and run if they are mildly broken, but not so broken that he stopped fighting! That defeated the purpose! To be in enough pain to say that he _gave up_ and was unthinkable for his brave prince! 

The Dragon Witch frowned. 

Ah, that’s what it was, wasn’t it? 

He should have known…

The _Subconscious_. 

Roman was so close to it that it was draining him instead of doing what the Dragon Witch wanted it to do. The Witch could see the soft light particles drifting from him if he looked closely, making their way lazily to the void where the lava dropped off into nothingness and where they were being absorbed- the end of the Imagination World and straight into the eternal darkness of the Subconscious. It was pulling Roman, dragging him, calling for him to give up, to come back to the place from which all Sides were initially created, to reabsorb and correct the ‘problems’ that he felt.

And because he was this close to it, Roman’s instincts must surely be bombarded with the desire to reunite into nothingness. That was the risk of a Side getting too close to the Subconscious, the noncorporeal always wished to unite with the corporeal and in Roman’s case especially, because he was Creativity. Unlike Logic, who would hardly feel it and who could fight those urges, or even Morality whose core focused on lessons taught, Creativity was an instinctive practiced thing, emotions expressed in a specific manner. Easily called, easily reabsorbed and dispersed. If the Dragon Witch wanted to kill Roman or Remus this would be the best way to do it, because after enough time at this proximity, they would have no choice but to be mentally bombarded until they cast themselves back in. Toss them into the abyss and they would dissolve into the subconscious as fluidly as melting butter in the microwave. They would likely be reborn again as a kind of new creativity, ego, lust and romance, possibly all separated or one unit. 

It did not matter though, what mattered was that the Dragon Witch was possessive and did not want to lose that which belonged to him. He did not want him to give in, nor did he want to lose him or see him perish. He wanted to _keep_ him, to make him his and his _alone_ . It was his right as a Dragon, dammit! He got to be this close to the subconscious without dissolving for a _reason_ and he was not going to let Roman disappear just because he did not want to park his scaled rump closer to the Imagination’s center. He was owed that must for winning. He fought tooth and nail against the wretched Subconscious until he was able to firmly become as corporeal in the Mindscape as Roman and by gods he was going to keep them both that way.

His scaled mouth curled into a smile as he hummed in thought about what to do though, an idea striking. **_“You make a very poor Knight.”_ ** He decided and Roman winced. **_“But I would never eat or let die what I value above all else.”_ **

“W-what? Why?” Roman was very confused as he wiped his eyes, the pain finally starting to recede as the Dragon Witch stepped away from the throne room and back towards the treasure pile. . 

The dragon lifted a claw and another stained glass mural began construction to their left, leaving Roman to wonder vaguely what it would be about as they passed it. **_“I should have guessed that being this close to the subconscious meant it would try and reabsorbed you... You are such a small and weak thing, but I will not let that happen. I will teach you your proper place as my treasure, and make sure you do not succumb to the darkness. IT will not absorb you, I will not allow it.”_ **

“It didn’t absorb _you_ ….” Roman said, exhausted and he looked a little perplexed at that, his mind wandering on this topic, too tired from crying. He wanted to go back to sleep and just sleep forever. He had often wondered why the Subconscious didn’t reabsorb the Dragon Witch, or what trick he had used to prevent that. How could an imaginary creature be so strong as to resist absorption so closely to the subconscious when he was feeling it’s tug and clearly unwillingly giving into it. He knew he loved to battle the Witch but creatures like the Manticorechimera were not this intelligently designed. Even the others of the Imagination’s Figments had less depth except for Remy and Emile and even they would most certainly have perished getting this close. Did he truly create something so truly magnificent that it would resist reabsorption when he himself could not?

 **_“I can see by the way your little brain is ticking that you still do not know how I managed to survive after you beat me the first time, but worry not. Those are foolish things you needn’t dwell on.”_ ** The Dragon Witch mused. **_“For now..... I must protect you from the pull of the Subconscious. Tell me, my precious little treasure, Do you want to be strong? To be noble, gallant, brave and needed? To be seen by all and listened to as a hero should be?”_ **

Roman looked up at the Dragon Witch as if to protest, but the whispers gnawed at him and he caved and then dropped his gaze. Of _course_ the witch could read him like an open book. There was no point in denying it now, so he nodded. What else could he do? HE was a prisoner and fairly useless, at least he could talk to the Dragon Witch as they headed back to what he assumed was his tower prison. “I know, it... is stupid that a prince should crave attention so much... that I should be this unneeded, but.... I’d give,” his voice dropped to a whisper, “literally _anything_ at this point for Thomas to need me.... It sounds so stupid when I speak it aloud.” 

**_“No it does not. Do not speak of yourself that way. No treasure of mine is stupid. Foolish? Yes. Naive? Of course. Optimistic, stubborn and in need of guidance from one who is greater than yourself? Indeed. But you are not unteachable, little treasure.”_ **

“But what kind of prince am I if even my King does not hear my input?” He asked and the Dragon Witch nodded. “I do not feel very worthy of much of anything.”

**_“I understand. However, I am a benevolent Dragon. I can make it so Thomas has no choice but to hear you, teach you how to be heard, how to be the best King.”_ **

Roman winced. “I... do not think that is a good-” 

**_“He would not be able to look away from your majesty. You would become King of all creatures, Imaginary and otherwise. None of them would ever dare cross you when I am done with you. All would have to respect you, all would have to hear you. You would come into view and they would have no choice but to listen, to bow, to need you.”_ **

Roman’s eyes went wide. “How? You would... do that for me? Why?” He sounded so hopeful and the Dragon grinned darkly as he shook his head, morally torn at the promises. “But I… that sounds a little like a dictator or a tyrant... I do not wish to be cruel, Dragon Witch.... Can you promise me I will not hurt anyone?” 

**_“You already have, dear prince, and you have only been yourself thus far. You have insulted those you cared for, hurt the ones you wish to love you. You do not have a choice. I will teach you and you will learn or you will deny me and you will go back in your tower and slowly let the Subconscious turn you to dust until you dissolve and never return.”_ **

Roman winced, but saw they were headed back to the dragon’s coffers and his heart skipped a beat. Surely the beast meant it. Was the Dragon Witch going to let him stay where it was infinitely cooler?! Was this a gift or was it to be his eternal prison as the Dragon’s treasure? He didn’t doubt that the Dragon Witch would put him in the tower again if he denied him and he shuddered at the thought. Roman didn’t want to die…. Even if the voices made him feel like he should let the Subconscious have him, he didn’t want to disappear. “If... if I do this.... You will never let me go, will you?” He realized, feeling himself lowered onto the pile of gold and he sighed. He did not know how long it had been, nor did he know if the whispers were right. Perhaps the others weren’t coming for him. Perhaps even if they did he would still not be able to leave. 

The Dragon Witch watched him, towering, regal and elegant but he did not answer right away. After all, the answer was clear. He would never give him up. But finally he spoke for the sake of clarity to the prince. **_“You are_ ** **mine,** **_Prince Roman, if I assist you or don’t, if you resist or give in, you will still be mine. That is the deal of the Old Ones and all of Dragonkind. This will not change. But I will not imprison you in the tower, nor the cage. You will come to me of your own will, compelled to do so regardless if you attempt to leave, but we can be amiable. I wish to teach you. If you do as I instruct, there will be no need for stifling cages. Give into my will Prince roman, and your comforts will increase.”_ **

Roman finally sighed. What choice did he have? The treasure was cool and enticing and dare he say it, _alluring_ after all of that time trapped in the heat of the tower and the pain that came from the gilded cage’s proximity to the Subconscious. Besides, there was something so beautiful about the way the light glinted off the gold, reminding him of the dragon’s scales. “Fine.” He looked down, truly defeated for the second time. “I do not have any other choice.” 

The Dragon Witch sat on his haunches and lifted his claws, sifting through his massive pile of treasures. Roman settled into the pile and fought to cool off. He was just glad the pain had stopped. Finally, the great beast lifted a golden crown from the pile and, hanging from his mighty claws, he dangled it above his prince, sneering in triumph. 

**_“You must make your undying devotion and allegiance official, my prince.”_ **

Roman’s eyes went wide when he realized what this silent gesture meant and he paled, sitting up for a moment. If he took this, if he accepted the crown he would be admitting ownership of himself to the dragon in the most permanent way possible in the eyes of the Old Magics set down by eons of faerietales both Creativities had read as children and abided by, to the _letter._ Whether he truly believed it or not, this would seal away his freedom. “Not… not yet…” He pleaded softly. “Please give me time…. I… I just…” 

**_“There is no more time, Highness, I am not a patient Dragon.”_ ** He pushed it forward and growled slowly and threateningly. **_“On your_ ** **knees** **_, Prince Roman. If you do not agree to this I will_ ** **force** **_it upon you. One way or another I will have obedience. If you give it to me freely I will not have to resort to more… torturous methods.”_ **

The light of the two Creative sides had no choice. He shifted, kneeling in front of the Dragon on his massive pile of treasures and let the beast press the crown onto his head. He felt it seat against his skull and he knew without tugging that it would not come off even if he wanted it to. He did not need the bars of the cages he had been in before, nor the threats to worry about. There was no going back now. 

Soon, no one would recognize Roman as the Prince he was before, just as the Dragon Witch desired. Soon Roman would begin to Understand what it meant to be true Royalty in the eyes of his Dragon. 

Roman felt dizzy and swayed, this time different than the subconscious-induced vertigo. This time he felt as though his whole body was weightless and disconnected, disjointed from his mind as the world seemed to slow. He fell and the Dragon Witch caught him gently in his claws. Roman leaned heavily on the scales and ran his hand over the smooth texture, thoughts scattered and his memories growing fuzzy. “I feel _strange_ …” He said softly and the Dragon Witch gently laid him back on the pile of treasures, coiling himself around his newest. 

**_“I know, my Prince. Rest now, you need to recover.”_ **

Roman could not protest the will of his Dragon, nor the urgency at which his body was falling into unconsciousness. The Dragon Witch hummed, pleased with what happened. Technically the Prince could have kept fighting him, but being so vulnerable came with it’s perks. He ran his claws possessively over Roman to pull him close and guard him. He would not give him up for _anything._ And besides, now with his prince fully crowned and at his command, he could teach him how to be a proper leader, one who is feared and beloved in equal measure, who takes because he deserves it, who spares only when he feels like it and does away with anything he does not find amusing because it is his right.

Soon he would show Roman how to be a _Dragon_. 


	6. Wonderland

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Transformations and changes happen in Wonderland, there's some cursing and Remus, as usual, has a dirty mind.

The seas were choppy as they traveled and Virgil was curled up against the side railing and clutching his stomach, groaning from how seasick he felt. It was taking every ounce of his concentration not to throw up.

“And you’re all going to LOVE my Wonderland!” Remus’ smile was so wide it looked like he’d carved it himself. “It's so amazing, there’s chocolate rivers, killer bees, rocks that slowly digest you, talking plans, ooh! The roses have tiny bear traps in them!” 

“Why?” Logan asked, perplexed by this. Why on earth would plants have tiny bear traps?!

“For the tiny bears of course, DUH! And the trees have HUGE eyeballs that cry blood and blink at you as they watch you, and the floor likes to knock, there's always a surprise if you answer the door! It’s so amazing!” 

“That Sounds really  _ horrible _ ...” Patton replied, eyes wide and nervous about this whole thing.

“Thank you!” Remus beamed at the compliment. 

“That’s going to be disconcerting.” Logan added, the very idea of this making his head feel somewhat dizzy. “Could you, perchance, tone down the chaotic appeal?” 

“Nope! Wonderland does what it wants to Nerdy Wolverine, there’s no such thing as orderly chaos, you of all people know that!"

“It’s not the most pretty place but it can be hella fun.” Remy called from the wheel of the ship. 

“I don’t really like it…” Emile admitted. “It’s kind of scary how it just affects you without warning…..” 

Janus watched them and gently rubbed Virgil’s back as Patton looked at them all in horror. Virgil didn’t protest the motion. Any other time he might have but the two had history and Janus knew how to soothe him with soft head pets and light back rubs. “Remus, you have yet to explain to your new guests just what it is that gives Wonderland it’s power and why it is dangerous that we are going there. I've a feeling they're not ready for it." 

“Oh!” Remus clasped his hands together and spun on one foot, so smitten with the very idea of his kingdom. “Wonderland has no filters or restrictions, it’s total chaos and anarchy, it's a glorious and wonderful place~! Pure and unadulterated transformative whimsy!” 

“Transformative?” Virgil managed before clutching his mouth and tipping himself over the edge to lose his lunch. He might have been a dark side but he'd never actually been to Wonderland before. Typically only Roman visited and not often. Janus knew of that place. It reeked of falsehoods and that was something he liked to taste on occasion. He groaned and wipes his mouth.

“Nice one!” Remus mused. “Though I could barf louder, does anyone want a demonstration? I am quite good at it!” He opened his mouth and Logan slapped his hand over it. 

“No thank you, please stay on task.” Logan replied tersely, but winced when Remus locked him. “Elaborate on the transformative properties,  _ please _ . What does that mean?” 

Remus shrugged and sat on the edge of the railing in a precarious manner that had them all nervous about whether or not he would fall. “Not much to elaborate on! Transformations are what it’s good at! I can coax it to go faster so our tongues and elbows don't feel so itchy, but even if I don't, it’ll transform all of us over time and it’ll be great!” 

In annoyance, Janus huffed. “We are on a mission to save my-” He hesitated and cleared his throat. “To save your brother and m-  _ OUR _ Light Creativity. You better reign the transformations in.” as much as Janus sounded stern, the others could not deny the tone of worry in his voice. 

Remus shrugged. “Well  _ doy _ Double-Dick, but there’s no harm in enjoying a little chaos since we have to cross Wonderland on foot anyways.” 

“Why?” Virgil asked, suspicious. "We could have dreamed up some balloon instead of taking this stupid boat."

“Because-” Patton started but blushed and held his arm. 

“It is alright Patton, please speak your thoughts.” Logan encouraged.

Patton, who already felt guilty for having too many harsh thoughts, hesitated again, but spoke quietly. “W-well I’m guessing the um, the transformation stuff will prevent flight right? Which is why we gotra do it on foot?” 

“Bingo Daddio! You can’t fly outta Wonderland because unless Wonderland gives you wings, the trees will prevent you from leaving the checkered path and trust me it's hella fun feeling the tongues alone your feet." Remus picked his nose and contemplated eating it, but flicked it aside and grinned. “Wonderland’s got a mind of its own, ya know? It’s gonna decide what roles we get, how we can travel and how fast we can get to the border and we gotta just go with the flow. That’s why I’m here. Wonderland still somewhat listens to me even if I can’t force it to obey.” 

"Can you promise that it won't harm us?" Virgil glared. "Surely there's gotta be another way around the damned place." 

"Language…." Patton squeaked out of habit. 

"No." Janus replies. "There's bot. But it won't hurt us. As much as he won't actively promise I know Remus doesn't want to actually cause us the kind of harm which could be detrimental to us." 

"Impermanence." Logan agreed with a nod. 

Remus tilted his head as the boat finally pulled to the dock. Immediately they could smell a weird combination of unnamable stinky things mixed with sickly sweet sugary things. It was  _ not _ pleasant. 

Remus inhaled deeply and grinned. "Ah! Smell that? That's the smell of progress!" He grinned and turned, eyes flashing. He now….. who wants to play Wonderland...?"

*~*~*

The outfit change was instantaneous, which, even if Remus had wanted to happen, shouldn't have happened so quickly. They stepped foot on the shore and Remus had turned his back on them to point to their right a bit sways out of the waters where he spoke very affectionately about Fuck Island, but when he heard a gasp and turned back, he paled, seeing the others looking at each other on the black sands of his beach. 

The mutations were always beautiful to watch. Remus loved seeing and feeling them. He could feel the chaotic magics of his realm gnawing at him like an old friend, but he was not expecting the others to change their  _ outfits _ so quickly. He supposed it was fine, transformation magic was unpredictable. He had several guesses as to which Wonderland roles each if his fellow sided and figments could get, but the unpredictability of it all made him eager. 

"When you said transformations this is not what I thought you meant." Virgil said, but the tone of his voice sounded begrudgingly relieved. “Is this a friggin waistcoat? And I thought Roman was bad…..” 

Patton grinned and spun around a moment, admiring his look and putting his hands in a heart shape over the heart patch on the front of his new overalls before tucking them into his pockets. Honestly except for Janus and Patton, almost everyone else looked kind of dapper in their waistcoats and ties, but Patton looked especially…. well…. to be blunt he looked childish, really. Blue overalls, tan shirt, soft grey sweater, black headband and sneakers, he really looked silly comparatively. 

Janus took to watching Remus snap and change his outfit so he looked appropriate too just as dapper in silhouette but looking much more ragged. Janus’ own clothes were less dapper and more soft with his yellow striped hoodie and pants. He stared, eyeing him the whole time, unblinking. 

Virgil grunted and loosened his collar a little. “No fair, why does the liar get to have the hoodie? This waistcoat is so stuffy, Remus.” 

“I think we all look rather dapper.” Logan pointed out. 

“True.” Remy nodded. “Though it really clashes with my whole look babes.” 

“I think it’s fun!” Emile nodded. “But entirely out of character for Duke of Weaseltown. Where’s the blood and the death and the- well ok actually the smell is  _ really _ bad so that actually tracks.” 

“This is  _ entirely _ strange for you Remus.” Janus pointed out. “Are you making it deliberately tamed for our sake?” 

Remus grinned wildly and gestured, “Oh hell no Scutes-McGlutes, I told you Wonderland’s unpredictable! There’s no rhyme or reason to how it’s gonna change you but if your outfits look nice I can guarantee you’re all going to look AMAZINGLY weird when it’s done.” 

“Remus, we don’t want to be creatures or beasts! We just need to get through so we can save Roman!” Patton scolded and Remus sighed. 

“Fine, we can  _ hurry _ .” Tipping his skewed top hat so he could bow deeply and point to the checkered path, he gestured forward. "Alright fuckwads, I present to you my totally awesome world of chaos! Welcome to Wonderland!"

It was truly just as bizarre as they had expected it to be. 

As they walked the checkered path, Remus giggled in delight at the way the stones would open their mouths to speak, Virgil leaping and hissing as a tongue tried to poke at his ankles. “Jesus Remus, would please make them stop trying to taste us?!”

“Aww come on they’re just happy to see us, isn’t that right~?” He cooed at the mouths and let their tongues worm around his hands as they babbled, regardless of their tongues being busy. It sounded awful and slimy and gross. “You’re good chatterboxes aren’t you? Yes you are, yes you are! Perfect little abominations for daddy~!” 

“Daddy!” The path cheered and Logan sighed and Janus ran a hand down his face. 

“Gross.” 

Logan’s headache had returned tenfold, because this was the one place in the Imagination that he could not see as a stage. His logical brain could not compute the illogicality of the mouths or how they moved and spoke, could not look at the trees looking back at him with wide curious and judging eyes, nor dismiss the heavy sewer-fishy smell which lingered in the air. It was not real, not logical at all and he groaned. “I hate this place.” He muttered. 

“What was that L?” Virgil asked, pushing large brambles out of the way. They were grossly viscous and sticky and he shuddered, trying to wipe the disgusting goo off his hands. He did not want to think about what that was made of. 

“What is this?” Logan replied and Virgil repeated himself. 

“I asked what you said.” 

“And I answered?” Logan looked at him. “I said I hated this place?” 

Patton stopped and held a hand to his arm. “No you didn’t, Logan, I heard you ask what something was, I thought maybe you hadn’t heard him.” 

Remus tilted his head and turned back, eyes flashing. He grinned and listened to this conversation. He knew what was happening but he didn’t think it would happen to Logan first.

“Did I?” Logan thought back and he shook his head. “I did say that, yes?” 

“Maybe I misheard….” Virgil sighed. “Either way we’re wasting time standing around talking.”

“We are?” asked Logan, but he frowned. “What am I saying? Why can’t I stop asking questions?” 

Remus clapped his hands together eagerly and bounced like crazy. “Oh this is so exciting, I haven;t been able to see it happen in person for AGES!” 

“See what happen?!” Logan demanded. “What are you doing to me?!” 

“Tell me Logan….” Remus’ eyes sparkle and glow a deep toxic green. “ _ Why is a Raven like a Writing Desk? _ ” 

“Why is a Raven like a writing desk?” Logan repeated, mind shifting immediately to try and figure it out. “Why is a Raven like a writing desk, why? Why is… why… who…” He can't compute the question in this place, It _should_ be a riddle; there are logical answers to that question, why couldn't he say the answers?! Why could he only ask the question?!

He felt pain in his sides and doubled over, squeezing his eyes shut, trying to make himself talk, trying to force the answers out. “Because?! Both have writing quills?! Nevar? Nevar with an AR?! Is that it? Why? Why?! Never put the wrong way-”

“What are you doing to him?!” Virgil reared and gripped Remus’ collar with his hands, glaring wildly. “Stop it!” Remus could only laugh in maniacal glee.

“We can’t stop this, Virgil, it’s Wonderland, remember?” Janus held his arm gently but Virgil tugged away. "It's affecting him this way because he is logic!" 

“Shut up snake, I don’t trust either of you and this was a terrible idea! Now we’ll be late to rescuing Roman!” 

_“Late?”_ Janus asked, but groaned. “Oh goodness not you too-” 

Arms were bursting from Logan’s sides as he knelt on the path, the mouths making smooching noises at him as he shuddered and panted, antennae bursting from his scalp. Remus clapped excitedly at the transformation, watching Logan finally settle. Patton gently touched his shoulder. “Logan? You ok?” 

The Logical side looked up with an unsettling snap of his head. “‘ _ You are old, Father William,’ the young man said, _ ” He called and a puff of hot colourful smoke billowed from his lips, startling Patton and Remy and Emile too, who had bent down closer to look. He waved the smoke away from his face and stood, tall, two arms folded in front, two arms behind his back and the last two arms gesturing as he continued.  _ “‘And your hair has become like a lamb’.” _ He looked to the others, thinking a moment. “ _ And yet you incessantly stand on your head. And I ask, ‘At your age, ‘you good fam’?’”  _

Remus clapped and Logan took a bow, Remy laughing and Emile let out a chuckle. “Oh marvelous, but you got it all wrong specs!” Remus said. “You, the ever astute Logan, getting rhyme words wrong?” 

Logan nodded. “I  _ improved _ it. While this new look and these new… urges to ask questions and say rhyme are frivolous displays which somewhat go against my very nature…. It appears this storybook-like integration has amended me of my headache, so for now I shall deal with it.” 

Virgil was unsure. “You….  _ sure _ you’re feeling ok?”

He snapped his head around. _ “Who _ are  _ you?”  _ he asked, but shook his head. “Sorry! Sorry, I meant…. I am fine, adequate, just so. A little caught up but otherwise as one might say….” He held up all 6 caterpillar arms to give air quotes. “I feel ‘just peachy’.” 

“Well I _ don’t!” _ Virgil grumbled and crossed his arms. “This is absolutely ridiculous, he’s gone and turned you into the caterpillar from Disney’s Alice in Wonderland!”

“Incorrect.” Logan adjusted his glasses and Janus only now realized as he watched him that having 6 arms if one was unused to seeing the person with 6 arms, was lightly unsettling. “With the amount of limericks in my head I believe I am the Lewis Carol version.” 

Remus nodded rapidly. “Hell yeah the BEST kind of nonsense!” 

“We’re wasting  _ time!” _ Virgil snarled. “This isn’t some silly game where oh woo hoo let’s all forget the mission and play pretend! We have a Prince to save, or did you all forget that Roman is still out there in the hands of an evil dragon?! Hop to it!” 

Janus watched his nose wiggle and both he and Patton chuckled at the joke. “Oh my goodness of all the characters to become…..” He said, watching Virgil whirl around and glare as large white rabbit ears began to spring up from his head.

“What is that supposed to mean?!” 

Patton gasped and clutched his face. “Oh my gosh! You look so CUTE! And making a joke about hopping too, how funny!” 

Virgil looked up and gasped, stepping back as he could see his ears perk. “WHAT THE ABSOLUTE SHIT.” 

“White Rabbit!” Remus tugged an ear down into Virgil’s face and the anxious side smacked his hand away. “I woulda pegged ya for the Cheshire Cat, what with all the purple and the spooky facade!” He winked. “But this is much more fun and fitting!” 

“White Rabbit makes more sense, logically.” Logan clipped, a hand at his chin. 

_ “Why?!” _ Virgil demanded and when he stomped his now-rabbit foot made a soft padded poof, his bunny tail sprouting and wiggling furiously in his anger, distracting Patton with how adorable it was. 

“Anxious, pressed for time, working for the Queen of Hearts whom I am assuming Roman would take had he been here.” Logan cracked a smirk and Virgil glared as he bent over a little to properly look at him, Virgil shrinking in height rapidly as Logan’s form only seemed to grow taller. Deep blue patches covered Logan’s skin and his eyes swirled with colour, two more sets blinking open to stare at him. It was wildly unsettling! There was an almost devilish look in the Logical side’s eyes as Virgil shrunk much much shorter, body getting more rabbit features by the second; a look they had not seen from Logan before. It held a kind of fascinated and amused sparkle that was a little unnerving. “So tell me,  _ who _ are  **_you?”_ **

Virgil’s nose twitched and he blinked and looked at his hands and the pocket watch, still annoyed, but the very moment he saw what nonsensical time the gold watch said, his heart skipped a beat and the ever pressing feeling of the passage of time hung on him like a weight. “The Prince of Hearts! The Prince! My dear paws, we  _ must  _ save the Prince,  _ no time to waste _ , make haste, make  _ haste! _ The Prince, Caterpillar, the  _ PRINCE!”  _ He clapped his hands over his mouth in shock at what he’d just said and his ears drooped in embarrassment, the watch falling and dangling from it’s chain. “Ah _ fuck _ I don’t WANT to be the White Rabbit though!” He wasn’t a full bunny, but his lower half had definitely become rabbit hind legs and he was certainly very small in size now. How was anyone supposed to take him seriously like this?! All he ever wanted was to not be seen as ‘cute’ and now Patton was looking at him like he was adorable! It was really ruining his image!

_ “Why _ not?” Logan asked, indignant, rainbow smoke puffing from his lips again. “I did not  _ want  _ to be the stubborn, wordy and unhelpful caterpillar. But that is what I  _ am _ to these silly musings.” 

“Because rabbits are small and defenseless and the White Rabbit is a stuffy prick!” 

_ “Why?”  _

Everyone else began to eye one another, Patton still trying not to squeal too much with how adorable little bunny Virgil had become, but the rest of them were uneasy about this whole thing. Remus of course did not seem to care, his eyes wild and manic and his grin as wide as ever. Clearly he was excited to have playmates for once! 

Virgil had shrunk to about three and a half feet high not including his ears, the white fur soft with dark black markings under his eyes, his black and purple-patchwork waistcoat looked really cute with the large pocket watch hanging from it.

“I don’t know! We don’t have _ time _ for this Logan!” Virgil grumbled and stamped his foot. “Stop pestering me!” 

“Maybe-” Patton interjected quickly. “We should just keep moving…? Please Logan, and I can’t believe I’m the one saying this, but we gotta focus on rescuing Roman!” Virgil’s ears perked in delight at hearing PAtton agree that time was of the essence and he squeezed his arms around the pocket watch protectively, nodding rapidly. 

“Yes yes yes!” 

Logan, annoyance all over his face, puffed out more smoke, his many eyes swirling a deep array of ever changing hues. Finally he straightened himself to impeccable posture (which seemed to be quite emphasized in that he stood over them at a great height that would look quite terrifying to those under 6 feet tall!) and, crossing two of his arms and as two slid to his hips, he nodded. “As you wish. Let us go and find Roman, this conversation is quite  _ dull.”  _

Remy slurped loudly at the remainder of his starbucks as they resumed their walk, disappointed when he noticed it was empty. “Remus, babe, refill?” 

Remus snapped his fingers as they all began to walk again, the mouths beneath them no longer licking but whispering beneath them, talking about them quite unintelligible and snickering.

“Curiouser and curiouser.” Patton mumbled and Janus glanced over at him.

_ ‘Ah,’ _ he thought to himself with a sly grin.  _ ‘That explains the overalls.’ _ Janus deduced that Patton must surely be Alice in Remus’ Wonderland. A but naive but meaning well, and quite a lot to learn still to grow, but immensely bright.

Remy tasted the coffee and at first he grunted. “Babe what did you put in this?” 

“Vodka and beetle wings!” Remus replied. “Gives coffee a fun  _ spark _ and sparkle! It’s CRUNCHY!” 

Remy made a disgusted face, but paused, looked at the drink, shrugged and started sipping again.

“Remy that’s disgusting!” Emile nudged him, but the other shrugged once more and didn;t care. 

“Caffeine is caffeine, babe. Ol’ Tommy is already asleep and this’ll make his dreams more fun anyways.” 

As they moved along the path, Patton kept staring at the trees which were narrowing their eyes at them and more eyes seemed to pop in and out of the forest darkness, watching them. It made him uneasy and he gently reached forward and held onto Janus’ sleeve. Maybe it was silly, he was a brave person, he was a grown up! He could handle something bad and weird and gross and scary, right? But he certainly didn;t feel much like a grown up right now…. He saw bread and butter toast fly over their heads and kind of wanted to taste one but also felt that would be a bad idea. Who knew Wonderland could be so scary? The woods were getting darker and more thick, the trail twisting and curving and curling endlessly in front of them and it seemed if they strayed from the path at all they would get lost and confused very easily. 

Seeing his distress, Logan glanced back at him and then faced forward once more. “Patton.  _ Recite.” _

The moral side looked back to him, tearing his gaze from the frogs with sharp teeth, the blood dripping from each tree like tears and the alligators in the water that had duck faces but equally large rows of teeth. “What?” 

“Are you deaf?  _ Recite.”  _ Logan repeated and Patton blushed as an urge to comply seemed to overwhelmingly bubble through him. 

“Oh! Um- there once was a man from Peru, who-” 

“Fell asleep in his canoe!” Remus interrupted with glee. “While dreaming of Venus he played with his-”

“INCORRECT!” Logan hissed through his teeth and began gesturing in the air as he took the lead ahead of Remus, moving forward on long skinny legs. “Cease! Desist! There once was a man from Peru who dreamt he was eating his shoe-”

Janus rolled his eyes. At least Logan’s, being from a Spongebob episode, was much more tame than Remus’s version. Thank god they were not talking about Nantucket….. 

But he looked to his left, hearing soft drawing whispers and he hesitated. He could see the group moving on, Logan and Remus arguing over limericks, Virgil growling about them dawdling, Patton trying to figure out which one he should listen to and Emile and Remy trying to keep the peace and he turned back. His hands fisted into his hoodie, claws gripping the fabric and he frowned, losing himself to thoughts of Roman. There was so much he wanted- no  _ needed  _ to say to him. So many apologies he needed to give. His senses felt sharpened and he hummed to himself as he watched the second path, the others getting farther and farther away. He could feel something sway behind him, more things curiously poking above his head, alert, attentive.

_ ‘Roman is waiting for you...’ _

_ ‘Come and find him...’ _

_ ‘He will not be at the end of the Hatter’s checkered path.’ _

The voices whispered seductive and enticing and Janus felt a deep urge in his bones to follow.

_‘I smile when I’m irritated….. And I hiss when I’m pleased.’_ Janus’ thoughts streamed in absently, unbeholden to his cautious senses and before he could stop himself, he disappeared down the branching path. “If we travel the path Remus leads we will be walking forever and I have never been one for following orders.” He could see the path curling into the woods ahead of him and felt himself grinning, pushing farther and faster. “I _must_ get to Roman, I must get to him and apologize…..”


	7. A Name

The first thing he noticed, before he opened his eyes and tried to remember, was the smell of sulfur and the feeling of cool coins pressed into his back. It felt so good, soothing his burning skin like a balm, the smell of metal mixing with a strange new scent that he’d never smelled before. Roman shifted, eyes fluttering as they opened to dark stone walls and the yellow-orange glow of magma which sifted through cracks in the walls and even the ceiling. It vaulted high above him, a somewhat broken chandelier clinging to it and swaying gently in the ever-pressing heat. 

Somewhat dully in the back of his mind, Roman remembered that the heat should be stifling and sweltering, causing his clothes to stick to him as he sweat and panted with exhaustion. But that seemed like a distant unimportant memory, especially here. On the pile of beautiful treasures, curled within the arms of His Dragon, he could not have cared less about it, the coins shifting delicately as his fingers, no, _claws_ combed through them. He pulled up a ruby, pressing it close to his face and inhaled, sighing softly as a shudder slid down his spine. _That_ was the lovely smell. The gems smelled delightful, better than any scent he had ever known.

He looked up to the sleeping Dragon and his hand moved to run over the smooth and pearlescent scales, sharp claws dragging over them with a pretty sound. He had never been this close to the Dragon Witch before and the beauty of his scales was achingly familiar in a way he couldn’t put a name to. They had fought, yes, many times against one another in glorious battles since Thomas was a child, but this was _different._ Here the Dragon Witch lay sleeping and peaceful, chest rising and falling slowly, and causing no harm or threat to Roman. 

He focused on the deep sounds of his breath and an ache in his chest bubbled. It was scorching inside him, burning him up from the inside out, his insides as hot and roiling as the magma outside, but he shifted to sit closer to the coins for they were soothing. He didn't know what this feeling meant but a hot puff of smoke billowed from his mouth as he exhaled, the heat dispersing somewhat. It was hard to dwell on thoughts for long and his stomach growled. He groaned softly and turned back to the scales. 

The Dragon Witch looked _beautiful._ There was something very pretty about those white pearly scales, the way they glimmered and shone in the firelight as if gems, the way his golden horns curled atop his gigantic head, and his claws, glistening just as golden, rested on their pile of treasures. Evil dragons often looked so dark in movies with their scales and not many had the gemstone look to said scales. Had Roman the memory to understand he would have attributed it to inherent racism in the media, but right now all he could think of was that His Dragon was beautiful and dangerous and more rainbow and perfect than any Dragon he had seen. His Dragon was regal and brutal, prideful and strong and so very very clever. He vaguely remembered another dragon, a dark one with large eyes and retractable teeth; a good dragon…. but he could not remember his name and so it did not matter.

Roman could see many of the scars he himself had left the great beast littering his flanks and underbelly and he hummed softly, feeling bad about this. Why were they enemies? He could not for the _life_ of him remember. His Dragon was special and beautiful, why would he ever wish to put a blade into such beautiful scales?

 **_“You are awake.”_ ** The Dragon Witch mused, his large eye watching Roman touch his scales. The prince gasped and drew his hand back, cheeks pink with embarrassment. **_“And you were caressing my scales.”_ **

“No!” Roman replied quickly. “Yes…. Forgive me, I just- your scales are beautiful. I had not…. Quite noticed before.” Roman’s words grew dreamy again. “Glittering like gemstones, very alluring.” 

The Dragon rose an eyebrow at Roman but hummed, pleased, and shook his head as he stretched himself, laying more on his stomach than his side. Beneath them both, the massive pile of treasures shifted and the Dragon Witch looked down at the small prince as he gasped and steadied himself. He hyperfocused on where the coins went as they fell, his brain bombarded with the overwhelming urge to make sure not a single treasure was lost. There were urges growing within him, possessive, deep urges he couldn’t quite define and he felt smoke sift through hs teeth as he counted the coins in view. 

**_“What do you remember?”_ **The Dragon inquired smoothly, interrupting his thoughts.

“Remember?” Roman frowned as his gaze was drawn away from the treasures. “What do you mean?” He moved to press a hand to his head and his fingers slid against the cool, enchanted touch of the crown that was sealed around his cranium, the weight notably heavy. He tried to think about what happened before he came to the Dragon….. Tried to remember how he came to be here in the place he knew was the Badlands. He fought hard to remember before his tower and the heat and the pain of feeling himself torn as if spread thin….. But he was finding it exceptionally difficult to do so. “I remember faces.” He replied, his frown worsening as the faces slipped from his grasp, the names which belonged to said faces seemed not to be in his brain as far as he could tell. “I was brought here, trapped within a tower, in pain, hurting.” The Dragon Witch watched him with a calculated gaze. “But all of the others…. I do not have names or faces for them.” He felt a strange sensation and couldn't put a name to it. Shame and worry crossed his features though and the Dragon Witch pulled him closer, that shame disappearing from his face. “I can’t remember much else....”

 **_“You cannot remember their faces or names because the ones who banished you here did so to send you to your death. They did not realize that you were a Dragon, that you were My Prince.. An insane royal from a faraway land of madness stole you from me and took you to a bunch of people who did nothing but lie to you and hurt you.”_ **Roman winced and looked down. So many of the Dragon Witch’s words did not feel right, but so many of them did and he trusted His Dragon completely. 

“I have these….images… of people… locations… blurry faces…. They’re all in my head and they seem to mean everything to me and yet…... I have no names for any of them.” 

**_“Dragons have no need for trivial names of_ ** **unimportant** **_things.”_ ** The other replied firmly and the words made Roman dizzy. The Dragon Witch stood and fanned his wings and for a moment Roman’s eyes were wide, a burning desire crawling under his skin to fly _fly_ **_fly._ **

**_“Unless it is as a noble title, or for one of noble grandeur, such as myself and yours, my dear Prince Roman,”_ ** Continued the Dragon, **_“a name is an unimportant, insignificant thing.”_ **

_Roman…_ that name was familiar. Was it his? He felt rather detached from it, and detached from the idea that he was a Prince. Princes were weak and pathetic little things which could easily be caught by a Dragon. He had terrible flashes of being trapped in a tower behind bars and the other caught him as he staggered, looking up once his dizziness had faded. The prince tried to stand and follow as the Dragon Witch moved from his treasure hoard and headed for the door, but his legs felt weak and he slid off the pile with a skid the moment the Dragon Witch released him to turn. “Wait-" he called, and it sounded strained and a little desperate. He was afraid, afraid of the visions, the memories which made him feel useless and pathetic. Roman did not wish to be alone right now and he sank to his knees. "Where are you going, My Dragon?” he pleaded. "Do not leave me here!"

The Dragon Witch turned his head, tail swaying out to catch Roman before he could fall off the pile of treasures and helped anchor him as he tried to stand again until he caught his footing. **_“Do not fret My Prince. I would never abandon you. You are my greatest treasure, and more valuable than you know. But now… we must go to breakfast.”_ ** He practically purred at the sound of His Prince calling him ‘My Dragon’. Everything was as it should be. But Roman looked much more determined than before, once he had been reassured, and much more light and dare he say it, _happy._ It was interesting. At least now under his will, the Subconscious could not grasp him and steal him away. 

As they made their way through the castle, Roman’s heat bubbled inside him again and he tried to distract himself with a game of naming things he knew. Names were unimportant but he remembered names of specific things. The names of treasures bounced through his thoughts and slipped off his tongue past sharp teeth, and he delighted in the flavours that the words for different precious metals tasted as he rattled them off. But then he paused and a thought occurred to him.

“MY Dragon, what is your name?” 

**_“Hmm?”_ ** the Dragon Witch cocked a scaly eyebrow and craned his neck down.

“Your name. You said only the greatest like you and I would have titles and names. I know of your Title, my dear Dragon Witch.” He ran his hand along the dragon’s scales with an adoring fondness that was rather surprising. Would the magics really make him so open and caring or was that how Roman was naturally? Had he had never truly seen this side of the prince? If this was true, then perhaps he came just in time. IF those wretched other sides could make His Prince so upset he would cast himself at the mercy of his enemy, what had they done to him?! Were they so cruel as to push away someone who was clearly one of the most loving, brave, courageous and kind sides to exist in the Mindscape?! 

“But I do not know your name.” Roman continued. The sheer look of hurt on his face that came with saying that caused the Dragon’s own to twist and ache. How could Roman not know his name after this point? And yet, after all this time he didn’t. Perhaps it was his black and white view of things….. But how many times had they ended a battle and the Prince had not slain him as he was meant to? How many times had he helped patch his wounds or sat with him until he was able to fly back to the Badlands with a glare and a promise to win the next time? How many times had Roman collapsed and told him that was a wonderful fight, to openly speak of how much he needed to blow off steam when Remus was not around, only to gather himself, close himself off and excuse himself? 

If he was honest, Roman had done these things many times but more so more recently than other times before. There had been a melancholy to the Prince within the past several months that the Dragon Witch had chosen to ignore in favour of his goals. But now that he'd won the Prince and owned Roman's entire being, he felt…. Unhappy that he had not seen his sadness sooner. He hummed deep and low in the back of his throat, feeling his heartflame sear. His Prince would never be hurt again. Never would those wretched Sides and the awful Body harm Roman again. He would make sure they never dismissed him or hurt him or confused him or made him feel like anything less than the amazing Creativity that he was.

 **_“You ask for my name…. You have never done that before, Highness.”_ ** He realized he had not spoken in a long time and Roman was starting to look as if he were losing hope at getting an answer to his question. **_“To you I have always been the Dragon Witch.”_ **

Roman shook his head but felt dizzy doing so and groaned. “That isn’t right…. Ooph…. I need food, I feel both parched and ridiculously starved….. But have I really not asked you for your name before? I cannot… remember how long it has been since we met….” Truthfully all of his memories, he was beginning to realize, were nothing but a large and painful blur. He remembered his name because His Dragon gave it to him, and vaguely understood who he was- Prince Roman, royal heir to the Kingdom of…. of…. actually that part was a bit iffy too. But he knew he was royalty, that much was clear and he had a very specific image of one who he knew must certainly be his twin, a man with a face very much like his. But again the name, though on the tip of his tongue, seemed inaccessible. 

For a moment the Dragon Witch did not reply, a strange and curious look on his features, but he turned and pressed his snout close to Roman in an intimate and maybe even loving gesture (Though the Dragon Witch would deny it if asked), and he felt roman;s clawed fingers hug around his snout, their bond stronger than either of them likely would have anticipated. The Dragon Witch finally broke the moment and puffed smoke in his face. The Prince coughed a moment before his pupils dilated, overcome by something unnamable and his own mouth puffed out soft breaths of colourful smoke, head gently pressing to the Dragon's snout, lost to the magics that claimed him and the fires which burned in his breast, begging to be let out. 

They weren’t just the fires from a heartsflame, as the Dragon Witch guessed- no, he could sense something more inside him, a beast just begging to be let free like the wild and chaotically creative monster that was his brother, always stifled, always forced down. The Dragon Witch wished to free that beast. 

Finally he sighed and spoke in a soft voice, relenting. Roman was His. There was no way that he would use this against him now. **_“You may call me…._ ** **Superbia.”**

_“Superbia.”_ Roman tested the word on his tongue and a deep sense of familiarity and recognition formed on his face before it melted away. Somewhere deep down Roman understood the meaning of their connection in that moment, but the conditions of the magics made those thoughts slip away. “Thank you My Dragon.” He grinned that stupid grin and Superbia sighed and leaned down, jaw opening wide and tilting his head to scoop Roman into his maw for a moment. The Prince yelped in shock, but didn’t really struggle as he was moved and placed on the dragon’s back. 

**_“Come my liege.”_ ** He told Roman. **_“I will prepare your meal.”_ **

Testing the level of control Superbia had over Roman compared to the Subconscious proved to be an interesting challenge. Before, Roman had been quite weakened when they approached the throne room and the Great Hall that served as the dining area. It was just as close to the Subconscious as it had been while in the throne room. And yet he seemed totally fine this time except for a few yawns here and there as he forewent sitting in a chair and instead sitting on the edge of the table, taking in the sights. It was strange to see him do that, but Superbia sort of liked watching him break what was surely a stuffy royalty rule in favour of freely just doing what he’d like for once. 

Roman felt as though he had been here his whole life, knew every crack and stone and boil of lava. And yet it all felt very strangely foreign. He pressed a hand to his head and closed his eyes. 

**_“Sire?”_ **

“I’m alright, My Dragon.” Roman lowered his hand and put on a pretty smile. Pity, even under the spell he seemed to put his own comforts beneath the concerns of others.

His physical weakness, Superbia realized, seemed to come predominantly from the hunger and thirst, but also from the spell’s intensity. He could see the scales, deep beautiful rubies, already starting to form on his skin and he was proud of that. But the spell did not seem to mask a lot of his deep innermost ingrained feelings and perceptions of himself. 

He would have to fix that…..

If only the Great Divergence had never happened, then things might not have been so… broken for the Creativities.

Roman turned to look back at the Dragon in a soft sort of graceful head tilt that made the Dragon amused because how dare he be so regal even with his memory loss. He looked very pretty in the firelight, delicate as a necklace to be placed in a glass case. **_“Have you slept well, sire?”_ ** Superbia asked instead of pressing for deeper questions he had always wanted to ask His Prince, watching him lift a silver spoon and stare at the distorted image as he moved to think of what food to feed them.

“I do not remember dreaming, but I did feel quite restful.” He replied, his gaze lingering. He pressed the spoon to his tongue. The appendage long and split down the centre at the tip. When it tingled on his tongue (as true metals ought to for a dragon), Roman shivered and tried to look for a place to put it for later, hoarding instincts kicking in. 

**_“Good. I have scheduled your training for you today.”_ **

"Training?" Roman asked and leaned on the table. 

Superbia turned, not answering right away, and ducked his head into the kitchens, dragging the large deer carcass onto the table. Roman jumped at the loud bang as it slammed on the hardwood and he held a hand to his chest. 

“Good gracious, Superbia, I sure hope that is for you! I can’t eat it raw!” He wasn't sure why he was saying that though. His mouth watered at the sight but his mind was conflicted. He knew he would be sick if it was raw…. right?

 **_“It is for us both, My Prince.”_ ** He replied smoothly, reptilian lips curling into a sneer. **_“I caught it myself in the grounds of a royal who forbade hunting precious wildlife.”_ ** He elected to not inform him that they used to be _Roman’s_ grounds. **_“Come. Sit with me and feast. Raw is good but charred is best.”_ **He ordered as he breathed the beast in flames. 

Roman felt his stomach burn with desire from the smell alone, but he was unsure. Something deep within the back of his mind told him this wasn't a good idea to eat with a dragon and he pressed a hand to his mouth, hesitating. He felt…. dizzy…. The smell was enticing but he could not remember why there was danger. “I…” 

Tapping claws against the ground, Superbia raised an eyebrow, growing impatient. **_“COME HERE.”_ ** He ordered and watched in interest as the order seemed to float prettily into the ears of the prince, sealing themselves into his being and making him comply. His pupils dilated until all the colour had gone from them and his look blanked. He moved off the table and walked forward with much-practiced grace and sat in the chair between the claws of His Dragon, the haze still buzzing around his skull. Totally obedient, Roman's mind and body were full of searing heat that oppressed every instinct and thought. **_“Good My Prince. Now eat up, we have to begin your training today. We will start with table etiquette.”_ **

_“Yes, My Dragon.”_ Automatic, smooth as butter, the words spilled out without his control.

**_“No one except myself speaks to your highness until you have finished your meal, no matter how pressing, do you understand?"_ **

_"Yes, My Dragon."_

**_"You are above all else, the most important person, creature, and being in the room at all times.”_ **He instructed, claws possessively blocking him against the table.

_“Of Course, My Dragon.”_

It was halfway through scarfing his third mouthful of charred meat that the haze of the order seemed to leave his mind and he groaned as he came to. The meat slipped from his claws and he pressed both hands to his head, the crown so, so heavy, spires of it;s top cracked and twisted. He tried to think, to figure out what was going on and where he was, but Superbia nuzzled him softly and he relaxed. He didn’t remember what happened but the spell would not let him question the gaps in his memory. He lifted more meat up again, this time not so wild about it and cautiously started to eat again. The food was delicious and tore his mind from his troubles, feasting into it with more vigor than he ought to, but maintaining his practiced manners. 

**_“You are very elegant and regal and I admire this. However it is unneeded when you are a King. You are above all else and they must be respectful to you but you owe them nothing. They must serve and praise you, and adore you without question as I do.”_ **

Roman felt that heat deep in his chest flood him at this and he touched the napkin to his face, impeccable table manners taught to him from a young age. “But I do not deserve their praise and adoration, Superbia… Is a King not supposed to earn that? Is a King not supposed to be there for his pe-” 

**_“NO, My Prince. You owe them_ ** **nothing** **_and they owe you_ everything _for what you have been made to do. You are the sun in their sky, the moon upon their water, the god among mortals and they shut you down and wove webs of confusion 'round your skull; danced you like a puppet and broke your heart.”_** Roman winced at that, flashes of different scales, pretty and green, so much yellow crossing his mind and he felt tears trying to fall. He remembered a soft smile and lovely praise, praise he knew was false _false_ **_false_** and it hurt and he pushed those memories down. He didn’t want to be hurt again. He didn't want to feel like he was lied to, that he never meant anything to him.

 **_“You will be a_ ** **dragon,** **_dear Prince, mine, my own. You can shake the very world they live in, choose their fates: who lives and who dies, create anything that you want, free of the constraints that the Body puts on you. You are their Chosen King, ruler of the Imagination, Creator and Wielder of great power, and they should kiss the ground you have stepped upon because you made that ground.”_ **

The words buzzed around his skull, tempting him, cooing at his brain to obey, crawling into every doubt and fearful crack and filling them up with confidence like he has never had. The words also felt _wrong_ somehow, but Roman had no other words or frame of reference to describe _why._ Because part of him craved to hear those words above all else. They filled up pieces of himself he did not know he was missing and that deeply rooted heat in himself burned and ached to free itself, to spread it's scales more across his body, force out it's wings and breathe flames onto those who would question him.

The doubting part of him thought the words were a lie but he did not say so, too desperate for them to be true.

Once he had had his fill of the food, he swirled his tongue around his sharpening teeth, content. “What is my training to be today, then? Sword fighting? I am clever at that. Or at least I _think_ I am. I feel as though it is one of my lovelier qualities, but I do not know if I could say.” 

**_“Your training in that is not necessary. You already exceed in that skill. No, today shall be a lesson in fire.”_ **

“Fire, Superbia?” He asked.

**_"Yes, Highness, fire. It burns deep within you, a roiling, boiling, living thing and it longs to come out and blaze. I know you can feel it."_ **

Roman shuddered, aware of the heat in his chest that seemed only to become more insistent as time moved on. He could taste smoke as he replied to His Dragon. "Yes… it feels so _intense._ I don't know how to let it free." He sighed and clutched at his throat. He felt wrong in his skin, itching and hot. "I feel… like I'm…" He shrugged, unable to find the words and Superbia hummed, seated and looking down at him. 

**_"You require assistance to free it. I will help you~"_ ** He promised and curled around him, head bent to nuzzle him gently. **_“I will make you the Red King you deserve to be and when they come for you, for they will come with intent to take you away from me and lock you back up, you will be able to prove to them once and for all that they can never confuse and use you again.”_ **


	8. We're All Mad Here

Time worked  _ differently _ in Wonderland, and Logan would have noticed it sooner if his mind had not been so full of incessant questions and bothersome trivias. He could not get them out of his head and like the others, his ability to concentrate was failing him. Perhaps Remus had done this on purpose, perhaps not, but Remus dressed in Mad Hatter garb, did not seem to notice the issue as they further traveled into Wonderland.

Virgil grew more anxious than he cared to admit when he realized they were missing a member of their party, and even moreso when he realized he had absolutely no idea how long it had been since they’d actually _ lost  _ Janus. Time worked differently. Had it been an hour or a day? A minute or a year? 

His ears perked and he stamped his foot rapidly, finally tearing his gaze to the where the trees should have been, but they were gone! They were not even in the forest any more! “Where is Janus?!” He demanded, Logan turning and tilting his head at an angle that sent shivers down the rabbit-anxiety’s spine. No person should be able to tilt their head like that except Remus who seemed to mirror the action. “We’re already _ late! And where the hell are we?! HATTER!!”  _ Virgil yelled and Remus cackled happily as he tipped his hat. Virgil groaned and smacked his hands against his face, annoyed. If only he could stop the ever present ticking of the clock in his ears, forcing him to remember that they’re late and distracting his thoughts.

“Probably ran off~!” Remus chimed happily, clapping his hands together in delight. “How wonderful, maybe he was eaten by a Foom Foom beetle! Big ass fuckers they are! We could go and look for him, but ooh! We CAN’T yet! We have to have the  _ tea party _ first!” The delight in his eyes was obvious, and he was having the time of his life!

“WhY would we have a tEa party?” Logan demanded. “Are wE not trying to find the Red Ki- Er- _ROman_... I meant _Roman!_ Patton must find Roman! No wait… it is.. Janus and Patton both who must find him… _us_ as well….” He pressed one of his many hands to his head. “This Wonderland business is getting tiresome, iresome, irksome, bothersome, _troublesome, problematic,_ ** _wearisome, worrisome….”_** He shook his head, pulling himself forcefully from his word ramble. “And I _cannot_ focus like this….” More puffs of blue glittery smoke coiled from his lips, forming all of the words he had been speaking in his impromptu word game, and he watched them drift off and dissipate, thoughts trailing elsewhere as he started to form longer words to watch them float, his mind a haze of blue sparkling fog. He simply could not control it. “ _Episcatarian….. Lackadaisical….. Pontificate…... Overmorrow…. Contrapposto…. Abibliophobia…. Nudiustertian…._ _Esoteric….”_

They all just looked so  _ beautiful  _ when formed in the smoke and Virgil's ears perked in worry when Logan's eyes became glassy and distant. The smoke seemed to curl up and around him, making a sort of couch he could lounge on and dreamily speak more words into smokey existence.  _ "Vociferous….. Arbitrary…. Magnesium….. Influx….. Outlandish…… Quantifiable……" _

Patton frowned and gently tried to comfort Virgil with a reassuring pat on his shoulder, but Virgil pulled away quickly and stamped his foot again, frustration all over his little rabbit face. He could not escape the feelings of dread, but having his head clouded was even worse!  _ Late, they were late, too late even!  _ If they did not get to Roman soon, there would be all manner of trouble and they simply  _ didn’t have time to dawdle _ or go back for Janus because he wandered off! He felt antsy and his thoughts twisted to the castle. He needed to get to the King of Hearts, but that was Roman.. and they were late…. And they had no time for serpents…..

“I’m sorry…” Patton sighed and held his arm. He just felt like  _ crying… _ he’d been feeling like crying for what felt like seconds and hours all at once. Wonderland was really getting to them and he had been fighting the urge to break down into tears for so long it was starting to feel ridiculous. He did not even notice he’d been shrinking, de-aging to a child's size to fit the role of Alice more and more. He felt extremely confused about all of this and the amount of fear in his heart rivaled his curiosity but it was all too overwhelming.

This place was horrifying, but also a piece of him, the Alice piece that made him find everything curious and upsetting, was torn between wanting to keep going so he could discover more and perhaps figure out what was going on, and wanting to seek comfort in something, anything that would be normal. “We’ll find him, right? He probably ran ahead or something because he’s worried for Roman….” His voice was small and upset.

“Maybe we’ll never find him and go around and around and around in circles until we all die!” Remus chimed dreamily, but shook his head. “No no no,  _ bad  _ Creativity! We have to find Janus, Virgil is right.” He sighed, pouting as he remembered that the role was not the goal. 

“Y-yeah! See? We’ll um… we’ll get past all this mad stuff and it’ll be fine, right?” Patton tried to reassure himself, the walkways in the terrifying card city echoing and making him shudder in fear. “I don’t like the madness….”

“We’re all mad here, Patton.” Emile replied softly as he watched Remy lean more heavily on him. The coffee-lover could not stop yawning and he’d gotten quite a bit shorter, so much so that Virgil, who was already small as the White Rabbit, seemed to be rivalling him in height, and Patton, who was absolutely the height of a 7-year-old, seemed equal to him as he constantly had to jog to catch up to the "grownups". The large mouse ears atop his head alerted them to Remy's predicament as the Doormouse, but he couldn’t keep himself from sluggishly being held by Emile (who, by some miracle, seemed to keep his height regardless of his status as the March Hare) for support. 

“Still, we have been walking for ages, The Cheshire- NO, Janus, I meant  _ Janus…. _ ” Logan groaned and pressed thin fingers to his head, fighting the urge to form the majority of his sentences like a question and he draped across the floating smoke couch. “He is somewhere off doing whatever?” He asked, failing the goal and giving in for a moment. “I cannot focus, clearly, Remy is about to pass out asleep on us, Virgil is so tense and anxious his foot is tapping at a speed that would shatter glass if he wasn’t trying to restrain himself, Patton is tiny? And yoU are just wanting us to continue as the Hatter and ignore  _ R _ duties?” Logan groaned. “What happens if we do not get out of this blasted plAce? Perhaps we might be stuck here forever?! Can yoU not see the issue Hatter? Remus! I mean Remus!  _ Dammit!”  _

“Language….” Patton tried quietly, but Virgil started hopping around, just as frustrated. 

“Then stop dawdling and get MOVING! He’s a cheshire cat, surely he’s off haunting something and appearing and disappearing, let’s GO!” 

“You need to calm down.” Logan snapped. “Your energy is terribly distracting.” 

“MY energy?!” 

“Yes yoU.” He puffed out a breath of smoke that formed the letter U. “ _ Wh-OO R U??? _ ” 

“Shut up shut up! What about Remy?! The Doormouse is asleep with NO energy! Stop blabbering you stupid caterpillar, you’ll make us late!” 

“Late?!” Emile gasped, ears perking. “For  _ tea?!”  _

“TEA TIME!” Remus chimed automatically, float-sitting mid-air and pouring summoned tea into more floating teacups the size of chairs and the shapes of hats. “Come have a seat it’s SO warm!” 

_ “Y?”  _ Logan puffed. 

“Twinkle…. Twinkle…..” Remy muttered in his sleep and Remus laughed, greatly enjoying himself. He hadn’t had this much fun or company in ages! It... it was so nice to have playmates, the sides never ever wanted to join him in his games and he always made Wonderland so entertaining!

“BECAUSE!” Virgil pulled his ears. “Stop asking silly questions Logan!” 

“Because it’s your unbirthday!” Emile added and lounged in the cup, Remy sliding into the warm tea and sighing softly. 

“IT IS NOT MY UNBIRTHDAY!” 

_ “Y?” _ Logan repeated. “It is not your birthday either. It is none of our birthdays, YoU’re just being  _ impAtient. _ ” 

“Ooooh!” Emile laughed as Logan and Virgil’s argument got progressively louder. He clapped delightedly and gestured. "Move down!" 

Patton looked up at all this nonsense and arguing and his "Alice" brain couldn’t handle it. He burst into big gigantic tears and Remus’ grin dropped immediately, head snapping around when he saw him fall to his knees and sob. “Wait…” He slid out of his teacup and knelt in front of Patton, dripping tea everywhere. “Hey, hey what’s wrong, why are you crying?” People weren’t supposed to be  _ upset _ in Wonderland, they were supposed to have a little  _ fun, _ be a little chaotic, let loose, enjoy the roles! But Patton was down on the cobbles in his little outfit and just kept crying, those big tears spilling and pooling around him like he could fill up a lake. “This is supposed to be… fun…” 

“No!” Patton sniffled and the others ceased arguing to turn and look at him curiously. “E-everyone’s fighting and Janus disappeared and Roman’s in- Roman’s in t-troub-trouble and and and and we can’t do an-anything but argue and be mad an and mad and for-forget why we’re here and and and-!” 

Remus’ heart sank as Patton continued to blubber. This was all his fault…. “I just…..” He sighed and set his hat down, pulling Patton into his arms, the child sniffling a whole bunch. “I’m sorry…. I just wanted you all to play a little bit before we left….” He admitted and helped him up, shoulders sagging as he snapped his fingers and the teacups and kettle dropped the others to the ground before disappearing. Their foggy minds started to clear up a bit as Remus let up the intensity of Wonderland’s influence. “I’m not used to…. others being here…. Enjoying themselves…. I thought maybe I could get a little bit of time. Roman probably wasn’t going anywhere….. I didn’t know it would affect you all so badly. But I promise, no more games.” 

“So you’re telling me you’ve been deliberately keeping us from getting to Roman so you could PLAY?!” Virgil asked. “That’s AWFUL Remus, that’s so _selfish!”_

The Duke winced and looked away, sighing as he snapped, making him his normal size. "I'm sorry." 

Logan adjusted his glasses, looking down to where his many arms were fading back into his usual body and he inwardly sighed in relief. “Virgil…” He began, glad his thoughts were his own. “I understand your concerns, and I have mine as well, but Remus is not used to spending time with anyone. He is ultimately trying his best, I believe. I do not think he was selfish on purpose. If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say he can tell that Roman is not in immediate danger.” Remus nodded and began to wake Remy up. “As for you Remus, while I understand where you are coming from, we still do not know if Roman is alright and we need to stop these games and reach him quickly.”

Remus again nodded and snapped, everyone’s appearances back to normal. He sighed heavily, but frowned. “Dr. Faci- _ liar _ needs to be found. I can’t pop his rocks without a line of sight.” 

Virgil glared. “Gross Remus…. I have no idea what you meant, but…” 

Remus smirked. “Oh~?” 

Logan just rolled his eyes and offered a hand to Patton who silently wiped his eyes, nose still stuffy. He squeezed Logan’s hand gratefully, now once more a proper adult. “Thanks… We should…. find Janus….” 


	9. Vengeful Memory

The day was long and seemed to pass slowly. Roman was taught many, many things: how to growl and snarl when irritated or mildly inconvenienced so his sharp teeth would seem more threatening. He was taught how to mix his impeccable fighting skills with a much more brutal flare. A Dragon must always fight with fang and claw. If one can bite, they must. If one can taunt and sneer at the lesser folk, then they should. He was instructed to summon opponents, shadowy, amorphous, and monstrous foes that could look like anything he desired and he fought them as hard as he would the real thing. Superbia showed him how to claw and kick and bite and thrash. He was taught how to boast, Superbia wasting no time in adding this to lesson 1 and up. 

Roman, he reminded him, was the  _ most important _ person in the room at all times. To Superbia, Roman was his world, his reason for existing, his treasure, his special prince. He valued him above all else and he would be damned if Roman could not also value himself in that way. 

Praise flew easily from Superbia’s mouth, and yet he knew Roman did not believe him. Curse that wretched snake and the others as well for fooling him and using him and ruining Roman’s trust in everyone. Whether Janus’s affections were real or not (and the Dragon Witch refused to let Roman know that Janus  _ did _ return his affections), Roman was  _ His; _ destined to forever be his and his  _ alone.  _

Time passed funnily in the Imagination. Days went by of Roman’s training, and Superbia knew that Wonderland was deliberately taking it’s time letting the others through. The Dragon wondered if that was because Remus was just happy to have little  _ playthings.  _

Superbia shivered and hummed as he thought about it. Roman was of course His, but he had often wondered if the twins should be a set. Incomplete alone one might say, but Remus was already Perfect,already wild and untamed and dangerous, and Superbia did not wish to unite them as Dragonkin until Roman could also be Perfect and that involved getting rid of this incessant and never-ending self-degradation. 

Roman just didn’t believe in himself; didn’t trust Superbia and didn’t trust himself either. Even with the laws of magical bonds, Roman could not be forced to value himself more and that frustrated Superbia most of all. 

And yet, the more they were together, the more the Dragon felt their bond growing. He loved Roman, truly loved him as anyone around Roman long enough should find themselves feeling, and this love, he was sure, was strong due to more than just the curse. Their inherent connection was responsible, but he was not about to tell the Prince that. Roman was naturally gentle and kind, and terribly giving and desperate to prove himself. And yes he ran his mouth and yes he made arbitrary statements but those came from the others. They came from years of built up ideas on what he should do to be accepted and heard. False lies of what a Hero and a Prince must be.. 

But even now the Dragon Witch was starting to hear tiny tidbits of Roman’s true emotions coming into play: A few slipped frustrated curses here, a furious rage at a table there, not to mention the pure glee when he succeeded and the contagious excitement that followed a win. It was progress and it was  _ beautiful.  _

Superbia gave him the best food (he no longer turned his nose up at it), and the prince would even eat it raw, able to stomach it though he seemed to delight in being able to set fire to his meal on his own. 

For the past couple days their closeness had moved beyond pleasantries and Roman was starting to really like Superbia’s presence as more than his magic-bound master, their bond putting them on equal terms, companions, even  _ friends _ one might say. And one could argue Stolkholm syndrome, but Superbia knew better. The dragon was well aware of what he was to Roman, and found himself mulling over the idea as of late that perhaps the Old Bonds which sealed Roman as His with magic might not have been necessary, had Roman understood what they were to each other. 

But he couldn’t risk it. Not after so long of trying desperately to make Roman His and reunite them. 

So they grew closer. They would go outside and spar or just rough and tumble a bit. Roman seemed to like it a lot when they did this. He would often say he felt as if something were missing and stare out of the windows with a forlorn kind of melancholy. Superbia was sure that he was missing Remus and their sparring. But when the dragon sparred with him, Superbia knew he was in his element and enjoyed himself just as much as Roman did. The Prince, his King, had sharp claws and teeth, keen eyes and an even sharper wit. He needn’t worry about injuring him, the other all too eager to play as dirty as necessary. 

“Do you have a human form, My Dearest Superbia?” Roman asked once after dinner while he was lying on the Dragon’s stomach much like a cat. 

**_“An odd question to ask, sire, but yes, I do if necessary.”_ **

“May I see it?” Roman traced the gold scales and watched him. After an uncomfortably long silence, Roman truly thought that the matter would not be brought up again and he was ready to ignore it. If His Dragon did not wish to speak of it, it was likely unimportant. But eventually he did speak and it was with a certain caution.

**_“I do not wish for you to see it yet. It is not time. Besides, my dragon body is much more valiant and beautiful.”_ **

“Of this I am sure, My Dragon.” Roman replied and slid off of his belly and onto the treasure. He had such a fondness for treasure, the feel, the smell, and even the taste. He would often run his fingers through it and let that deeply-rooted possessive and greedy side of himself let loose. 

Roman wanted many things; desired so much for himself and for the Body. For too long he had been neglecting that selfishness and drive for success at the hands of the Others. For too long he had been insisting to himself that it was bad because he had been  _ told _ it was bad. But Superbia was rightfully teaching him how to regain that selfishness, to be himself proper. 

To be a  _ Dragon.  _

But then one night when the glow of the magma was warm and the ashen skies broke for even a moment to let the stars of the Imagination shine through, stars he and his brother had carefully worked on together as children, things changed. 

Perhaps that little thought was a hurricane, because that tiny memory of Remus surfacing caused a chain reaction and Roman suddenly, and without warning,  _ remembered.  _

He remembered walking down beautiful hallways of towering marble columns and statues of heroes, boots tapping the ground with a practiced confidence and a sword sheathed at his side. He knew the weight of it, the feeling of the gem inlaid on the hilt; the way it rocked against his thigh as he walked and the feeling of the cape at his back billowing lightly as he strode. 

He remembered beautiful golden sunlight cascading through grand archways where there were no windows and the openings let in the fresh air of the morning so unlike the stifling volcanic heat; recalled the pristine white outfit that was tailored to his body perfectly, giving a sense of radiance and marked him as the ruling leader. 

He remembered the exhaustion he hid with skilled ease as he passed the rows of guards waiting for him, saluting him or speaking urgently with him on matters of great importance. They respected him above all else when his own fellow Sides and the Body,  _ Thomas,  _ his whole world and his everything did not.

He remembered the feeling of the scars from endless battles he would dress and mask away with a snap of his fingers to hide them; scars which dug into what should have been perfectly flawless skin, marring it into something he had thought would be too unseemly for a prince. Cuts and marks lined his body from his arms and legs to his back and cheek, and his twin never cared to hide them but Roman always had. They came from battles, came from bruised egos, littered his body every time Thomas was  _ embarrassed _ about his profession, cutting him deeply as the shame and worry that Thomas was wasting his talents bore down on the Prince. He hid every single one of them to the best of his ability. A Prince and a Hero should not look so bruised. Thomas needn’t see that his creativity worked hard to get where they were and had scars to prove it; needn’t know of the scars and the pain and the urgency at which he fought tooth and nail to roll the more elaborate ideas into submission.  _ No one _ needed to know that each and every ego bruise was lashed directly to him, marking him in pale silvery scars over the decades. Shapeshifting was natural to him, and they didn’t need to know what he truly looked like beyond the pristine prince garb. 

It simply would not do.

He remembered the battle room where he stood at the head of the table, all eyes on him as he skillfully instructed his troops on the best defenses for the oncoming monster attacks. He would make hard decisions and turn his concerns from the Duke across the sea that seemed hellbent on attacking his people, and forced their attention to the borders. He did not want to fight with Remus as much as he did. He hated everything he stood for, but that hatred was a thin facade of envy, jealousy and rage. 

Remus was  _ free.  _

Roman was chained like a lion in a circus cage.

It had always been this way.

He had just never been willing to  _ admit _ that before.

He remembered feeling needed by his imaginary people, wanted and trusted, and he remembered being praised for his prowess, bravado and chivalry. To them he was unabashedly their hero. He remembered his ideas being particularly sought after, trusted and valued and he knew that no amount of exhaustion could take that away from him. Because even when his citizens would come to him for aid, when they would seek his council on matters of the neighboring imaginary kingdoms and potential wars, border skirmishes, and new lands appearing and disappearing on the whimsy of Thomas’s wandering thoughts, Roman always had a plan, always had ideas, always knew what to do. 

Roman remembered the castle with it’s towers and it’s banners and it’s walls. He remembered his people and his battles, the way the crowds would cheer in absolute adoration. No strings attached, they loved him.

But they weren’t as real as the other sides.

And that man that he remembered, hiding self-esteem as fragile as glass behind big deeds and bravado, seemed like a total stranger to Roman as he looked out upon the beautiful bubbling, ever-shifting pools of magma, the memory flood finally easing up as he relaxed and let go of his head. 

He could see why Superbia took them away from him, sealing the wretched memories under lock and key. 

No one loved him like His Dragon loved him. 

No one could possibly understand him like Superbia did. 

It was in his very  _ name _ what he meant to Roman.

He knew, deep down, that that valiant and beautiful shining white, gold and red Prince was a fairytale, a dream he had woken from at last. 

When the memories came back to him it felt as though he had been watching someone else’s life. He leaned against the broken window finally, sword hilt in one of his hands as he watched the world outside. The familiarity of the volcanic activity was beyond what he thought he should feel with the memories returning to him. He did not know why they had begun to return….. And he knew without a doubt that His Dragon was the one to blame for their suppression, but he could not be bothered to care about that or even feel betrayed. To him, the actions were justifiable. Superbia knew he was not where he was meant to be, trapped in that pretty little box of expectations and disappointment; a gilded cage for an obedient prince, and Roman could think of nothing so freeing as to just live like this here in the fiery clutches of the Badlands where laws and rules never once forbade him access to his creative prowess. Here the subjects made of fire and coal and ash did not need to be saved, here they were strong.

Yes he was within the confines of this castle, but here he could make whatever he wanted, think whatever he wanted and feel however he needed to feel. He summoned things just because he could, created because he didn’t have to hold back. He fixed much of the rubble of the castle to its former glory, leaving rubble where he thought it looked aesthetic for that reason only. He didn't need another reason. 

He fixed up the throne so it glittered in gold and decorated and painted it himself, pleased as a peach. He was the one who summoned his sword. He had broken the stained glass mere hours earlier, heart aching because it showed Janus and he was angry at it.

Because he remembered Janus. He knew the way he moved and spoke and the way he had made him so very much in love, only to be used and tossed around like a puppet and lied to. 

He liked this freedom. 

He didn’t need to worry about what Thomas wanted or what the others thought of him. 

There was a blissful fog that clouded his mind in comfort when he was with His Dragon and it was addicting.

He liked being a dragon. He didn’t have to prove anything to anyone because Superbia loved him unconditionally, possessively, superiorly,  _ naturally. _

With Logan he felt he must prove his worth, defend his ideas and give reason for their creation; back down when he was proven wrong or his ideas not logical. 

With Virgil, well… they butted heads so often and no matter how hard he tried to do what was necessary to be a better person for him, Virgil still refused to tell him when Remus had shown up. So much for friendship, eh? At least Remus would always be Remus.

With Patton he had no idea where he stood. One moment he was his hero, fighting the good fight to protect the morality and goodness of Thomas, and yet the next Patton sided with Janus….. The man who hurt Roman when disguised as Patton, who lied to him at the courtroom with flattery, a tactic Roman truly sincerely thought was genuine (how foolish he had been), only to force him to the lowest points he’d ever been. It had not been enough to make him miserable, to make Thomas miserable, to prove to Roman that he could not be trusted and that the affections he had given him “from the heart” had been nothing but lies? Janus loved Roman, that was what he told him, the flattery was real, he had insisted it so. But Roman could not trust him. Janus  _ used _ him. 

He sighed heavily, a long thin puff of deep dark smoke pooling from his lips like a wisp. He watched it curl and disperse past his sharp teeth and tapped claws against the charred stone. The heat was nice, like a warm summer breeze but deeper, piercing his newly-forming scales. He didn’t want to think about Janus or  _ his _ scales.

“I was a  _ prince  _ of my Kingdom across the sea.” He said casually and this revelation startled Superbia as the dragon frowned and looked up, rolling over. Concern crossed his scaled features as he studied the prince, seeking a reason to use the ancient magics of the Pact to control him, but Roman neither moved, nor turned, just staring out at the magmascape of the Badlands. “Forced in a gilded prison of rules and decorum, hurt by the Body, by Thomas…... for just being my selfish self and nour-bound to citizens of the Imagination to protect and serve them.” 

**_“You have always served others, Roman.”_ **

“I know.” The pain in Roman’s voice as he whispered the reply with reluctance made the Dragon Witch stand and stretch as he approached him to look out the large broken window. It towered above them, dwarfing Roman anyways but it was even large by Superbia’s standards as most of the castle was. “I’m tired of serving everybody  _ else.”  _

**_“Oh? And what does that mean, your Highness? I can take them away again, slide those memories which weigh you into oblivion.”_ ** Superbia sniffed down at him, but His Prince did not seem angry, nor did he seem to wish to leave. He merely looked out at the magma and the blackstone and the lava, finding it beautiful. 

Roman shook his head and lifted his sword. Superbia stared at it as it glinted in the fireglow. For a moment he thought Roman might turn on him, ready to rear up as the feeling of metal pierced his scales, but Roman just spread his claws over the delicate metal. Superbia should have known by now. Roman was whole now that they were united again. 

In the days he had officially been Superbia’s, Roman’s visage had been coming along exceptionally nicely. The ruby scales littered his body, covering his hands and feet entirely and allowing them to become proper dragon claws. The gems sparkled gloriously in the light and looked very complimentary to the white clothes he wore. Superbia refused to give him a prince outfit unless he asked for one, but Roman had not bothered to summon different prince clothes, preferring a now-white tanktop to match his pants. Roman’s teeth were sharp and proper, his ears pointed and eyes had formed slits. The crown gifted by the Dragon and sealed to his skull curled delicately off of him was now a permanent part of his head in the form of long beautiful horns. He was stunning and exactly the kind of Dragon King the mindscape needed, tail curling and wings folded. 

“No.” Roman said at last and he puffed more hot smoke onto the blade, the ash darkening it before he wiped it away. “I do not want to forget again.” He sheathed his sword at his hip and smoothed his claws over Superbia’s scales, a soft affectionate smile making its way to his lips. “But, Dearest Dragon of mine, I do not want to  _ forgive _ them either.” He clenched his claws into tight fists, the scales preventing injury. “For once in my life I want to be me, to be free to do what I want, I want to have what  _ HE  _ has.” His eyes widened as he thought about his brother, about Remus and the sheer and unabashed freedom he has always had. Even pushed back by Thomas and Patton and Virgil, Remus was untamable and so very very  _ free _ to just be himself as loud as he could. “He gets to romp about all hither and yon doing whatever his freaky little heart desires.” He felt himself snarling with jealousy. “He gets to make abominations and is he shunned? Hell yes, but I can’t even mock or I am compared to him! How DARE that snake compare me to him when he’s never had to be a people pleaser!” 

Fire burned in Roman’s chest, clawing up his throat in his anguish as he stormed along the castle hall, pursued by a curious Superbia. Each word sent flames bursting through his teeth, his back aching, spine hurting at the base, willing his wings and tail to grow larger, just waiting for the moment they could carry him aloft. “He gets to be whatever he wants; whomever he wants! He can make his Wonderland anything but I am  _ limited _ to a Kingdom of gold and sparkling stones, rainbows and puppies and unicorns! I must serve and obey and fall in line and please everyone! Nothing but dragons to fight and nobles and parties and citizens constantly nagging me for attention, for bravado and courage and triumph! And I- I  _ like _ that stuff…..” His rapid pacing finally settled and he came to a stop in front of the throne of His Dragon, shoulders slumped. “I _ like  _ the sparkly things, the unrealistic dreams, the desires to make people happy…. But no one  _ values _ those any more….. No knights in shining armor or heroes to save the day.

“I cannot make everyone happy, least of all  _ me. _ Do this Roman, say nice things Roman, be better Roman, stop being mean Roman, trust him Roman, trust the wretched snake that tore out your heart and crushed it with words you loved and craved and let yourself cry when you find out it must all be a lie because he could never ever tell the truth…..”

He pulled his arm around himself and looked small and fragile and he ran his other hand through his hair, the jewels inlaid on his crown now simply set in stone upon his skull. “I am not meant to be a Prince.” He said softly. 

Superbia leaned forward, having patiently listened to this whole speech and nuzzled him with the end of his snout before he gripped him in his jaws and lifted him to the throne.  **_“My beloved treasure, they have used and hurt you for an insufferable amount of time. They’ve had you dance on puppet strings, holding back your potential, allowing Creativity to split as it has, and robbing you of your right to freely create. Logic is allowed to run freely, even if one does not listen to him ramble, his work is heavily valued. Likewise, Morality is almost always at the right hand of the Body when he makes decisions. Even Anxiety has more compassion and understanding from the Body than you get.”_ ** He sighed softly.  **_“You do not deserve any of that. This is why I wanted to rid you of the wretched memories of them. If you wish to be alone, I will give you space, but I do not want to leave you unattended, Sire.”_ **

Roman felt small on that big throne and slid off it to hug His Dragon, reaching arms up so he could hold him softly. “I do not wish to be alone.” He admitted. “I merely pine for the one whom I love and can never have; lament at the thought that Thomas will never truly see what I am capable of. I mourn,” He explained, “over the burning ache in my chest rooted to my pain, that is all.” 

Superbia nuzzled him protectively.  **_“I would eat those negative thoughts if I could, devour them until you could be free of these burdens. For now… is there anything which could ease your suffering mind, My Liege?”_ **

Roman looked up, a dangerous glint in his all-too-sad eyes. “I want to burn up my Kingdom.” He stated.

**_“Oh if that is all, Dear One, I have already done the deed.”_ ** Mused the Dragon Witch and Roman looked back at him with wide eyes. 

“You what?!” 

**_“I have burned the houses and set fire to their little farms. They lie in rubble my prince; broken remains of what you had before, your bright towers crumbling.”_ ** He could see the shock on his prince’s face and he nuzzled him.  **_“I thought you could start over here…. Make new your Kingdom and it’s subjects.”_ **

Roman looked angry and stood.  **_“I_ ** **wanted to burn it!”** He snarled, voice dark and doubled, echoing much like Virgil’s Thunderspeak. But he force-calmed himself. He couldn’t stay mad at His Dragon. “Fine.” He grumbled and crossed his arms. “My Dragon, my Superbia, my  **_Pride….”_ ** He said, lips curling. “I want to burn my  _ Brother’s _ Kingdom to the ground.”


End file.
